Children of Misfortune
by Ancient2
Summary: Another child destroyed by chaos and soon destined to die alone. What, do you desire pity child. Pity is for the weak and the foolish. Right now you are weak, but you're not foolish. I've grown quite fond of you child so I'll give you a choice. Accept my gift and survive or stay here and die, the choice is yours. In the end misfortune shall be your companion.
1. Chapter 1

To those who loyally read my work, I thank you for your time. I was encouraged to post this story by you and my older sister who patiently awaits to be able to read this. She's already seen the story plot of this one and she states that it's going to be one of her favorites. I hope the same will apply to you guys.

Oh and one more thing, this story is actually a crossover with Kingdom Hearts. I don't like the crossover setup because it's too confusing for me so I just put it in the normal setup on the dominating games story section. Curious on how that mix up is going to work. Keep reading and find out. All characters with the exception of the protagonist and her parents belong to Namco Bandai Games and D3 Publisher's God Eaters Burst Game. Along with Square Enix and Shiro Amano's Kingdom Hearts series. Enjoy.

Enlisting the Silent Blessing

In this world, the monsters called Aragami have taken over the lands. They devour indiscriminately, destroying mankind and their cities, forcing the remaining humans to huddle together in enforced cities, as they rampage through the world. No one knows where they came from or how they came to be. All humans can do is fight and hope for their survival. The few who can fight against the Aragami's Oracle cell regenerating process are human with Bias P53 Factor enhancements, wielder's of God Arcs, the God Eaters. Each surviving city had it's own Branch, under an organization called Fenrir, of God Eaters that was run by a Director to supervise their Aragami control and extermination of the area.

They continue to fight for the survival of the human race. But only a few can meet up to the credentials to be a Gods Eater, so they have to grab everyone that they can who does meet the credentials to fight against the Aragami.

And somewhere in Japan at this time two God Eaters, a tanned young man with platinum hair and blue eyes hidden under a blue hood jacket and the other one a tall man with wild black hair and green eyes sporting black attire, walked through the Outer Ghettos to find the match for a New-Type Gods Eater hidden among the many sections.

"Why do we have to do this?"

"Hey, these are direct orders from your old man so quit your complaining Soma." said the man to the young man in the blue hood.

"Shut up! That bastard is no old man of mine." The one called Soma sheered at his older partner.

"Haha, whoa, scary. What ever you say sir."

"So what exactly are we collecting?"

"You mean who?" He corrected. "Apparently, it's a candidate for a New-Type Gods Eater."

"What's his name?"

"Her."

"What?"

"It's a her. And her name is Megumi Sato, Age: 17, lives in Sector G42, and graduated Shijo Gakuen High School." The green eyed man said, looking over the file he was given from the Director.

"She lives in G42, that place is like the Bermuda Triangle. Not only does it house many historic buildings, like Shijo Gakuen High, that hasn't been destroyed by the Aragami but has had the lease Aragami attacks. Many Aragami entered the area, but they all disappeared before they can do any damage."

"It says here on the file that her parents were former older model God Eaters. Maybe they've been keeping the Aragami away."

"You know that Gen is the only survivor from the 1st generation of God Eaters."

"That we have recorded. Most likely the ones that survived wanted to be left alone after the modern God Eaters came into play left. Wanting out of the business they disappeared off the chart."

"Come on, we won't find her just randomly walking. Let's ask around."

They continued to walk around, to their surprise a lot of the civilians roamed about. Usually with the threat of Aragami most would lock themselves in their homes, leaving the streets practically deserted. Not only were the streets crowded, there was grass on the ground and an elderly woman selling fruits and vegetables and kegs - which the man called Lindow hoped was filled with beer. Fenrir wouldn't hand out that many rations to one individual or produce plants that looked so organic, so her plants must have been self grown.

Either way, the old woman was their last chance at finding information. Everyone else they asked for the location of Megumi walked away from them once they learned that Soma and Lindow worked for Fenrir. The people of this Section seemed to be protective of her and would handout nothing about her. Betting everything on this last chance they approached the elderly woman's food-stand.

"Evening ma'am, my names Lindow and this sour puss beside me is Soma." Soma growled at him for that. "We're looking for-"

"I know who you're looking for." The old woman said sternly. "Megumi lives a little further up this road with her father in a lone house in the area. You can't miss it." They were shocked at how easily she gave away the information.

"W-well thanks ma'am. But why did you give the information away so easily. Usually the people in this area are quite secretive about her?"

"Even if we continue to hide her you're bound to find her eventually." But then her eyes slanted as she said her last words hauntingly. "But in the end whether she decides to go with you is up to her. Now be gone you whopper-snappers, you're chasing away my business."

"Thanks for your time ma'am" Lindow bowed to her and stepped away from the food-stand to head over to Soma. "Well let's go meet the candidate."

They walked along the path the elder pointed to them. As they continued onward the grass became greener and to their surprise they saw flowers further on ahead. Never before had they seen such floral plants in real life. Any documents of their former existence was from data from the old times on NORN. They shined like gold as the sun touched their petals.

The broken old pavement turned into a stone path as they continued onward. They were caught off guard when the path lead to a small farm. Vegetables were growing on the right, orchids of fruit trees grew to the left. Cows could be seen grazing on the open field in the back.

This was amazing. Most business, especially when dealing with food production would be under constant destruction and peril from the Aragami without the protection of the Branch Walls. But this place was thriving, even with being near the weak point of the Anti-Aragami Wall, along with the Sector surrounding it. Whoever was taking care of it was doing a good job.

The house in the center of it was larger than the average Outer Ghetto houses but too small to be from the rich Sectors. But it was well kept and looked cozy, surrounded by a white picked fence. Its front lawn was covered in a sea of white lilies that let off a settle but pleasant scent. They couldn't believe how many there were. The couldn't even see the grass as the stone path lead to the stairs of the front door. Butterflies fluttered about the lilies in a dance. They had thought the butterfly species was wiped out by the Sariel, an Aragami with butterfly-like characteristics mixed with the resemblance of an alluring woman, it appears they were mistaken.

But if the place was so well taken care of where were its caretakers, most likely the Sato family. That's when they spotted a young lady in the vegetable field, tending to the weeds. Her long hair sprayed across the ground while she was on her knees and blended with the fertile earth but shined in the sun. She was silent as she worked with tender care.

"Excuse me Ms!" Lindow called out to her. She turned toward them. Her eyes were as blue as the mid-day sky and long strands of hair fell across her young face. Her baby blue sundress was covered in dirt along with her muddied hands. She was so serene and gave off a calming aura. But she was as silent as a stone.

"Ah, hi. We're here from Fenrir's Far East Branch. I'm Lindow Amamiya and this here is Soma von-" Soma elbowed him on the side hard as a warning to stop while he was ahead. "Apparently Mr. Silent-and-Moody just wants to be called Soma." Soma elbowed him again but he blocked and chuckled. However, returning to the subject at hand. "Are you Megumi Sato?"

She smiled at them and nodded her head. She stood up, her hair flowing up like a reverse waterfall, and wiped off the mud on her hands as she walked over to the orchid in her warn-out garden boots with them following behind. She picked up a large basket and began to collect all the ripe apples from the apple trees as Lindow continued on.

"Well that's good, you're a really hard person to find. We've been looking all day with no luck." She turned to them and held out an apple for them. If they had been moving around so much they must've been hungry. "Ah, thanks."

Lindow took the apple from her hand and she reached in the basket to hand another to Soma. Soma was reluctant, he saw the gesture as something with a catch. But as he looked into her eyes he would see no hidden agenda, they were honest and patient as her hand stay stretched out and unmoving. In the end he took the apple with a jerk of his hand.

They both bit into their apple, and their eyes widened as the taste entered their mouths and juice leaked from the apple. It was delicious, far better than artificial fruit grown for their ration fruits. They feared their taste buds had become numbed from the lack of taste for so long.

"This is good! The best thing I've had in a long time." She smiled and tilted her head in a thanks then continued on with her work. "But as I was saying, we're God Eaters from the Far East Branch and we're here to request your membership." She stopped in mid-air, as she was about to reach for another apple, at his words then turned to look at him.

"The higher ups from our Branch and research your files." Her face scrunched up in anger. But they could understand, who would want some stranger going through their personal information like a persistent stalker. "And your data is a match for a New-Type Gods Eater." She stared for a second then turned to head for her house, basket and all.

"Wait, please! Just hear us out." Lindow said, following behind her with Soma. "Together we can fight against the Aragami. You'd be able to save people with your own hands. You'll be the one doing the protecting."

She stopped, turning her head to look at them. She had a look of disbelief on her face that said you-understand-nothing.

"Megumi... do we have a guest?" A man's voice came from the house's window. Panic shrouded her face as she turned to the sound. "Ah... so we do. Well don't be rude princess, let them in."

She looked at them again, panic had left her face to be replaced by stern anger as she silently relaid the order for them to not cause any trouble. Getting the message across, she lead them into her home. It was cozy and warm, with its warm yellow wall paint, wooden floors, and home design of a grandma's floral home. In front of them was a stairway that lead to the rooms upstairs and a hallway that lead to the dinning room. To the right was a entrance way that lead to the tiled kitchen, while to the left... lead to the voice.

"Don't just stand there come on in, take off your coats if you'd like."

"No thanks. I'd rather keep mine on." Soma finally spoke.

"Same goes for me, but thanks."

"Suit yourselves. Princess, take off your boots before coming in here. I don't want any mud to track in here."

Doing as he said she took off her shoes by the door way to put on a cleaner pair of shoes that were there. With the dirty boots out of the way. She closed the door and stepped onto the floor, round rugs of floral design scattered the floor as a long rectangular one graced the hallway and the stairway.

"Come on in the Living room. I promise I don't bite." Following the voice the turned into the left entrance way. The team continued on, with floral further like padded chairs and a couch on top of a large round rug with a coffee table. Random stands with flowers and knickknacks over tiny rugs. And a fireplace that wasn't lite where family photos stood on top of.

But what caught them was the one non-floral furniture. It was a large green lazy boy. And what sat in it definitely was not human. He was a humanoid with Aragami arms and legs, a tail lazily flopped on the floor from his backside on the chair's right arm. Pants covered his bottom half but no shirt or shoes covered his clawed feet or his chest that glowed in the center with Oracle enhancement that failed to hide his ripped abs. His head and face was manly, but his eyes were like yellow Aragami eyes. Horns came out of his head as his long wavy platinum hair touched a little pass his shoulders.

Lindow's and Soma's first reaction was to pull out their God Arcs. But the humanoid Aragami did not budge as it continued to drink a hot beverage from its mug.

"There's no need for that, I won't harm you." The man took another sip as Megumi passed them to sit in the floral chair across from him and the coffee table. "I assume you know who I am."

"If the photo checks in with your resemblance you're... Doragon Sato, one of the few surviving older model God Eaters."

"Yeah that's me."

"Doragon?" Soma was curious about the strange name.

"My father wanted a son that was strong like a dragon." Doragon then gestured toward the couch. "Please sit down, there's nothing to fear."

"Nothing to fear? You're a damn monster."

"Soma!"

"And you're a socially acquired troubled teen, what's your point?"

"What do you know about me you-"

"Soma, enough." Lindow said, holding out on arm to keep Soma back. Soma growled but conceded. "I'm sorry about my teammate's behavior. But your condition did catch us off guard. We've never seen such an extreme case of..."

"An Aragami Infection?"

"Yeah... and the fact that you still contain your consciousness is unbelievable too." Lindow said as he and Soma hesitantly took a seat on the couch.

"Yes..." Doragon said as he leaned forward, placing his elbow on his legs as he rested his chin on his crossed fingers. "My family and I where attacked by Aragami who breached the Wall." Then he leaned back into his chair resting his arms on the arms of the chair as he looked up as if searching for a memory. "And now I live on in this form."

"But... how do you keep your Oracle Cells so stable? Your armlet is missing." Lindow asked.

"The same reason why there are no Aragami attacks in this area."

"My God, you don't mean..."

"Taking care of the Aragami in the area keeps the people safe and keeps me sane."

"Monster." Soma sneered, earning a stern look from Megumi and a hollow chuckle from a Doragon.

"Call me what you want. It doesn't change the fact that this is my only way of surviving... But I rambled on too much, I failed to get your names."

"Lindow Amamiya, sir." Lindow greeted, leaning a little to shake his hand. His claws did not pierce but his grip was strong. Soma had his arms crossed as he turned his face away.

"... Soma."

"Well Lindow and Soma, you must be thirsty." Doragon said, picking up his mug from the coffee table. "What do you want? We have tea, coffee, lemonade, or beer."

"Did you say beer?" Lindow said, if his ears could they would have perked up at the notion.

"Yeah, it's a home brew. We usually make a living selling our produce to the Branch and local markets. It helped pay for school tuition. But were more than happy to share it with a poor soul that needs it or house guest."

"In that case I'll have a beer and this guy will have coffee." Lindow said, point to Soma.

"I can drink drink beer too you know."

"We're not in the Den right now. Out here you're still a minor."

"Damn you." Soma's blush was barely hidden under his hood.

"Princess, would you mind?" He wiggled his empty mug toward his daughter. She got up from her chair to retrieve the mug and headed toward the kitchen. "Thank you, princess."

"Your daughter doesn't talk much, does she?" Lindow joked around.

"She can't talk. After that Aragami attack, disaster had struck her."

"And what about your wife? I haven't seen her around yet?" Soma asked, regretting the insensitivity of the question as Doragon's face twisted into hurt emotion. Doragon turned toward a family photo on the fireplace top. He was younger with shorter wavy brunette with his daughter no more than the age six being held by him and a lovely woman. His daughter had her eyes and her complexion, her hair was straight and long like her daughter's but platinum. The photo spoke of happier times long forgotten.

"My Shiyuri... didn't survive the attack. She died protecting our little blessing... our Megumi. There's no words to describe how much I missed her."

"I'm sorry... She must've been a great woman and mother." Lindow was shocked, it was hard to get Soma to express remorse.

"Yes... yes, she was."

Then Megumi came in with a tray, of mugs and a cup of tea. With a plate of cookies and a bowl sugar and a creamer set.

"Thanks Megumi." She smiled and handed him his '#1 Dad' mug refilled with coffee than patted his head. Then she handed the other two gentlemen their respected mug. Placing the remaining tray on the coffee table, she picked up her cup of tea and returned to her seat. Pouring cream and two spoons of sugar into her cup and grabbed a cookie. Soma did the same, while Doragon and Lindow just took a sip of their drinks.

"This is better than the canned stuff they serve at the Den." Lindow cheered and then began to chug it down. Soma did the same with a little more control, while Doragon and Megumi just took a sip of their drinks.

"That's because they only half the process."

"It almost makes me sad that it's almost gone."

"Why not take it with you. I'll fill you a bottle or two before you go."

"Really? That's awesome!"

"Lindow... we're here for a reason."

"And what reason would that be?"

"Your daughter." Soma answered.

"Prom season is over young man." Ignoring his joke Soma continued on.

" She's a candidate as a New Type Gods Eater. We were sent here in the hopes of having her join the Branch."

"..." Doragon got quite and stared into his mug.

"Sir?" Lindow asked in concern.

"The life of a Gods Eater is brutal. We fought without rest nearly everyday and lived with the constant weight of possibly not being alive to see tomorrow. That life was hell for me and my wife. We didn't want such a life for our daughter, we tried so hard to keep her away from that life. She just graduated from High School, something we never got the opportunity to do. My wife and I paid our dues to Fenrir, our daughter sure as hell doesn't have to."

"Sir if you receive rations from the Branch you are required to-"

"We receive nothing from the Branch, in fact we're the one's who make shipments to the Branch. The only reason you have her information is because of her School."

"Sir please. At least consider-"

"We owe the Branch nothing."

"The Branch has been protecting you from the Aragami, I think you owe us enough."

"We have been protecting ourselves from the Aragami. The Branch was no where to be found when the Aragami took my wife from me and destroyed my princess's childhood."

"I know life has dealt you an unfair hand, but humanity needs all the God Eaters it can get." Lindow pleaded.

"Life... don't tell me about life. Mine was butchered like an animal, and now you plan to take the little piece I have left away from me."

"It's cruel to ask of your family. However, your daughter has a patriotic duty to serve her Branch." Soma chipped in.

Doragon was silent for a moment then looked up toward his daughter. "Well princess, what do you plan to do?"

"You speak as if she has a choice?" Soma's smart aleck question earned a growl from Doragon as the grip on his mug tightened.

"She does have a choice, whether you like it or not. If she chooses not to go with you, you better believe that she is not going anywhere." Then he calmed himself and turned back to Megumi. "The choice is yours, princess."

The room was silent as all eyes fall on her. With the last sip of her tea she put her cup down and reached over the right arm of her chair. Righting herself, she pulled out a notebook and pencil and began to write. Once done she flipped it over for all to see her final choice.

'I choose to go with them.' Her father read it again then looked up at her.

"Are you sure that is what you want princess?"

'Yes, but under the condition you tell no one about the state of my father. The last thing I went is for Fenrir to try and turn him into a Lab-rat.'

"Seems fair enough. But you do realize that once you join Fenrir your family goes under the protection of the Branch." Lindow commented which caused her to write a response.

'You know as well as I do that once they see my father that policy will fly out the window.'

"Point taken."

"For the last time Megumi are you sure about this? It's too dangerous for you."

'Yes... but in the end... the cost is worth it for all of us.'

"If that is your choice I can't stop you. Go with them sweetie, you have my full support." Megumi got up from her seat and hugged her dad from the side of his chair. "Use my past storage. I should have enough in it to give you a good start at the Den. Please take care of yourself Megumi. No matter what you do or where you go you'll always be my little princess."

She kissed him on the check and headed up the stairs to pack.

"Take care of my little Blessing for me. She's all I have left."

"Don't worry sir, we'll take good care of her."

"That is if she doesn't die in the first week."

"Soma!"

"My little princess is too stubborn to the core to die, I'm more worried about her getting hurt."

"We look after our own at the Den sir. She'll be in capable hands."

"She better be or you'll have to answer to her siblings."

"Siblings?" Soma asked noticing no other family photos of said 'siblings.'

"Her brothers and sister. Adopted really, all drawn together by a common misfortune."

They would have asked more but they heard Megumi storming down the stairs. She came into the Living room, carrying no more than a handbag.

"Is that all your taking with you?" Soma asked as she nodded in confirmation. He approached her and in a gentlemanly manner took her bag from her to carry over his shoulder. "You travel light for a girl."

They walked to the door, Doragon following behind. Lindow and Soma continued on as she paused at her doorsteps. Noticing she wasn't following half way through the lily field they turned to look back.

"I'll tell your brothers and sister where you've gone. Don't take any unnecessary chances when your out there. Be careful how you move, you're no longer under the protection of home." She waved her hands toward the lilies. "I promise to take care of the flower's for you. Your love for lilies is a trait you got from your mother."

She gave him one final big hug that lasted a good minute. Lindow and Soma could have sworn they heard her whisper something but it must have been the wind. At last they broke the hug.

"Get going now." Holding on until the last second she walked she went to reach the others she was just about turned her head. "Don't look back!"

Her dad's shout caused her to pause in action. "Don't look back. Looking back clouds the mind and weakens the heart. Move forward and don't look back." Her fist clinched and her eyes watered, she turned her head forward and joined the boys. As they left the farm a mournful roar filled the air. Megumi did not turn back, but a tear went down her cheek. Her mouth moved but no words escaped. But from reading her lips Soma depicted two words.

'Later dad.'


	2. Chapter 2

Sorry I've been gone for so long. I was playing a new game, and I'll tell you something once I start something I don't stop until I complete it. However, this game was such a disappointed that once it was done I threw it under my brother's bed where it shall remain lost and MIA for 3 years.

The Strange New Comer

The Far East Branch facility was larger than Megumi imagined. She had seen images of it on her television and from her parents stories. But it was for larger in person, bigger than the buildings she grew around. She knew it housed an army, but why did it have so much luxury while others in the ghetto barely had electricity.

Silent as always she followed the guys into the Den. They took an elevator that lead to the Entrance. The place was hustled with life, a woman with red braided hair operated the front desk while God Eaters rushed about. As they entered the Floor a woman with long wavy hair and curvy body covered with a white suit that exposed alot of the chest and eyes that resembled Lindow's.

"You're late Lindow."

"Sorry Sis, but this kid was hard to find." Lindow said, rubbing the back of his head.

"Lindow... don't call me 'Sis' while we're on the job. You got that?" She said sternly causing him to chuckle. Then her attention was drawn to Megumi. "So this is her, huh?... She's pretty quiet."

"She's mute." Soma answered.

"Hmm..." The woman grabbed her chin with her hand and turned her face from side to side. "She's got the look of a hard worker, but her hair is too long. It'll get in the way during combat."

The woman then let go of her chin and stepped back to address Megumi. "You'll have to get it cut before you take the Aptitude Test. And change into a Fenrir uniform, from now on the days of the luxury of dresses are over, understand?"

Silence was expected to be her answer. What was not expected was for Megumi to pull out a Butterfly knife strapped to the bottom of her leg as she grabbed all of her hair and in one swift slice cut off her long hair, leaving it wild and uneven as it barely touched her shoulder now. The woman at the desk cried out in horror at the callosity of such luscious hair being cut off like a weed and fainted where she stood. Megumi held out her long cut threads in front of her hard she nodded in understanding to the woman.

"Hm, you got guts. Let's hope they'll keep you alive." The woman said. Megumi placed the knife back in its strapped sheath on her lower left leg and stood straight to listen to orders. As Lindow and Soma stared at her in disbelief. They had seen girls cry over cutting an inch of their hair to see one willing cut off a couple of feet of it without a second thought was astounding. "Alright, suit up! Your Aptitude Test will start at 1200 hours in the Training Facility. Hibari at the Mission desk will tell you where it is... once she comes to. Now, off with you!"

Megumi stood tall in salute then walked away.

"The girl's got spunk." Lindow commented as he went to stand beside his sister, watching the area where Megumi just disappeared. "So which Unit 's going to take her?"

"Yours."

"What?" Lindow and Soma turned to look at her as she only moved her eyes to look at them.

"She may be a New-Type, but she's still untrained. She'll be safer in your hands."

"Tst, ridiculous. She'll just get in the way."

"She's in your unit now Soma so you'd best get use to her."

"Great, that's all I need, more baggage." Soma said stuffing his hands in his pockets as he walked into the elevator to head to his room.

Changed into a Fenrir Casual White uniform, Megumi headed to the testing area. The room was decorated with bullet holes and a case in the center of the room that held a God Arc.

She could feel the life pulsating from the weapon as she was told by the man in the window to place her hand in the case and grab it. The order seemed simple enough, like King Aurthur and the Sword in the Stone, until the case came down on her hand. The process didn't hurt but it felt uncomfortable, like a stranger's touch.

Once it was over, she pulled out her God Arc. It felt too light for her liking. The man told her to take a seat in the Entrance until she was called in for a Medical Checkup and to tell someone if she felt unwell. Her wrist felt itchy and she longed to gnaw off the armlet that was forcibly attached to her arm. But she'd have to be patient until one of her big brothers could take it off.

"Hey... you want some gum?" She turned her head toward the voice to see a young boy sitting across from her. He wore bright orange clothes with a somewhat girlie top that exposed the stomach and an orange beanie hat over his spiky chestnut hair. He searched his short's pockets to no avail.

"Oh, I'm all out. I must have ate the last one, sorry." Megumi smiled in understanding. "My names Kota Fujiki, nice to meet you."

Megumi pulled out her notebook and began to write a response.

'I'm Megumi Sato. It's nice to meet you Kota.'

"You can't speak?" Kota said in sympathy.

'No, I can't.'

"Oh, I'm sorry to hear... read that." She grew a big smile at his correction that helped break the iced between them. "So... you're a match too." Megumi nodded at him. "That makes the two of us. You must be my age or maybe a little older. But I'm still your senior by a nanosecond."

Suddenly the woman from before came back. "Stand up."

"Huh?" It was an automatic response from Kota, he meant no disrespect by it. But Megumi instantly stood up.

"I said stand up! On your feet!" Kota was on his feet in an instant. "I'm on a tight schedule so I'll keep it short. Although one of you has already met me before, I have failed to give out my name. I'm Tsubaki Amamiya and I'll be your adviser. This is your schedule- after your check up you'll complete a full curriculum of basic training, basic combat, as well as weapon/armory clinic.

"We are the ones who have been protecting you up until now. But from this day forward, you'll be the ones doing the protecting." Megumi could have protested that statement but she remained unmoving.

"If you don't want to die over something stupid then answer everything I say with a 'yes.' Understood? Answer me!"

"Yes Ma'am!" Kota said while Megumi confirmed with a nod.

"Alright, let's start with a Medical checkup." Then the woman called Tsubaki turned toward Megumi. "We'll start with you. Report to Dr. Sakaki's room by 1500 hours. Take a tour of the facility until then. This is your home now, the Far East Branch, a.k.a the 'Den.' Make sure to pay your respects to your new team."

This place, these people, were all strangers to her. She was so close to what she needed yet it wasn't safe to be there. The people seemed friendly enough, but something in the back of her head screamed for her to get out of there. They all seemed nice, so for their safety she'd keep her distance.

"So you're Doragon's daughter." She turned to see an older man of graying hair in a red jacket that acted more like a cast for his left arm than a jacket and a black undershirt and baggy pants with brown boots. His armlet was a hornet yellow and black color while everyone else's was red and black which represented that he was an older model Gods Eater. "When I first saw you I thought my mind was playing tricks on me. You look just like Shiyuri."

'Did you know my parents?'

"Yes, back in the old days we use to fight along side each other. I was their General. Your father was a wild one, always rushing in with his blade while I had cover his back with my pistol God Arc with your mother not too far behind with her pistol. He was reckless but he was one of my best. Ah, those were the days, I always knew those two crazy love birds would get together. But I had no idea their branches bore fruit, I haven't heard from them in ages."

'Sorry, father likes to remain hidden. But... you must be Gen Momota, my parents told me a lot about you. You're like a legend in my house.'

"Heh, always a pleasure to meet the next generation from my surviving team. If you need anything let me know. I'll give you a tip or two on combat whenever you need it."

'Thanks, I'll take you up on that. Oh, I'll tell dad you said hi the next time I go home.'

"Mph, I'd appreciate that. Well you best head over to your Medical Checkup kid." Megumi nodded and waved goodbye with a smile. Honored to finally meet the man that saved her father's life countless times on the field. Entering the elevator someone rushed to catch it too.

"Hey, hold the door will yah!"

It was a young man of 18. His spiky red hair was half covered by a black ball cap that hung to his right side. He wore a neon green hooded jacked that unzipped to show off his black and dark purple t-shirt. He wore blue jean shorts and green/purple shoes. His eyes had a purple hew to them. She held the door open as he ran in to catch it, he was slightly out of breath.

"Thanks. Hey, you're that new recruit we've been hearing about. The one the Director sent the First Unit to recruit. So you're the New-Type, the names Shun."

'Megumi Sato, pleasure to meet you Shun.'

"What's with all the writing? Can't you speak? Are you dumb?" Her eyes twitched at that.

'We prefer to be called mute thank you very much.'

"Jeez, sorry... Hey, have you met that old guy Gen yet?

She was confused by such a term being used for a respected senior of the Branch. Perhaps the people in this Den were so close that they could joke around like that.

'Yes, I've met him.' The doors open to the Laboratory Floor, where the Medical Checkup was to be held, as she showed him her answer.

"Man, what a loser that old man is. Always trying to give out advise, getting in the way. Things are different from the old days, he's obsolete. I hope I never end up like that."

Disgusted by his words she viciously wrote down on her notebook. Ripping out the page she shoved it in his mouth and stormed out the elevator. The doors shut by the time Shun recovered from what just happened. Pulling the paper out of his mouth to see what she wrote, he found that she had written one word in large letters.

'CAD'

Giggling came from the left, by the Floor's snack machines. On the bench sat a woman in her early twenties. She had short platinum hair and a purple eye-patch on her left eye. Her neck was covered by an orange bandana. She had on a purple V-shape t-shirt that exposed most of her small chest., under a mid-rib black jacket with a little bit of purple. Her plants were black spandex with long purple boots. Her shirt hugged her body by a brown fanny pack that hung to her side. Her brown eye sparkled as she continued to giggle in an almost seductive way.

"You got spunk, giving Shun a piece of his own medicine like that. The boy had it coming, but don't let this effect your opinion of him. He's really a nice guy, but has a hard time being a team player."

'Shun didn't seem nice to me, but I guess he has a hard time expressing himself.'

"You'll find that everyone in the Den has a hard time doing that." She then got up and held her hand out to Megumi. "I'm Gina."

'Megumi,' Megumi wrote after shaking her hand.

"Blessing... how charming. I can see it in your eyes, you'll make lovely flowers bloom."

'Flowers bloom?'

"As a sniper, I make it my job to always hit my target. It's nothing special, I just do what I do best. It's like art to me, better than the photos I've seen on NORN. Every shot I take makes flowers of red bloom from my target. It's like crimson blossoms, I like it. The feeling I get every time from it makes me happy to be alive that I can't wait to fire."

'And here I thought I was the charmer.'

"I'm sorry, here I am chattering about the joys of work while you have a Medical Checkup to get to."

'That's okay. Perhaps we can talk more again another time.'

"Oh rest assure we'll most likely have a mission or two in the future. That is if you don't die."

'I'll be sure not to croak on you. Until we meet again.'

Heading down the hallway she entered Dr. Sakaki's lab. Two men were there to greet her. One eccentric man sat by multiple computer screens with wild grey hair and a fox grin, wearing black. While the other man stood tall with short well kept wavy blonde hair and a white trench coat. On his face was a small smile, but something about him seemed more conniving than the guy with the fox grin. Every since that day of the Aragami attack she learned one thing, never trust a scientist.

"Hm... you got here 726 seconds sooner than I expected. Good to see you New Type." said the man by the computers. "I'm Paylor Sakaki, and I'm in charge of the Aragami technology R&D. Well... we'll be seeing each a lot of each other from now on. Welcome aboard."

The man seemed friendly enough, but experience told her looks can be deceiving. She was in dangerous territory and at the moment could trust no one.

"Now as you can see I'm pretty busy getting prepared. Johannes, why don't you get your business out of the way first."

"Dr. Sakaki, I think it's high time you learn to separate business from private matters." But the doctor ignored him and continued typing. She recognized his voice... it was the man that was hidden by the bright headlights during the Aptitude Test.

"Thank you for taking part in the Aptitude Test." The man turned toward Megumi. "My name is Johannes von Schicksal. I'm in charge of the Fenrir Branch in this region. Congratulations again on passing the test. I expect great things from you."

"He's a former Techie too you know. The New-Type's medical checkup interest you to know end, right Johannes?"

"I decided to retire from being a Techie because we have you. Keep that in mind."

"Did you really ever retire now?" Johannes grinned at this, showing Megumi the long friendship going back between the two 'Techies.'

"Hmm... Now then, this is where the real fun starts. Let me explain the Fenrir Corporation's objection once more. Your direct duties are very simple. They are to keep the Aragami in this region at bay... and to gather materials... which are then converted into resources needed to contain this advance base, as well as completing the impending 'Aegis Project.'"

"Ugh, look at these numbers." Dr. Sakaki bursted out excitedly, interrupting the Director's speech.

"The Aegis Project... is, simply put... a plan to create a utopia impregnable against Aragami attack. Located far out to sea, close to the sea of Japan trench."

"Aha!"

"Once the Project is complete, humankind will be able to avoid extinction, at least for a while-"

"Amazing! So this is what a New-Type is like!" Megumi began to get nervous, just how much was the medical background giving away.

"Paylor... You're disrupting my lecture."

"Oh, sorry about that. I was just so taken aback by these stats... I got carried away."

"... At any rate, the future of mankind is at stake. So give it your best effort. Alright, I'll be taking my leave now. I'm leaving it all to you Paylor. Send me the data when your done." And so the Director left along with the bad feeling Megumi had.

Dr. Sakaki waved him goodbye and continue to type for a while.

"Okay, we're good to go now. Lie down on that bed, will you. You'll feel sleepy for a little while, but I assure you there's nothing to worry about." Nothing to worry about? She was trusting her unconscious body to a scientist that may or may not know too much. "When you wake up you'll be in your room. Just a little cat nap, so to speak... you'll get about 10,800 seconds. Sweet dreams!"

This place was obsessed with numbers. Megumi went to sit down on the examining table and began to write.

"Oh, do you have something to say? I heard from Tsubaki that you were a mute."

Finishing what she wrote she ripped the paper out of her notebook. Holding it in her hand as she fell asleep.

Approaching her examining table, Dr. Sakai gave her a 360 look through.

"Now then, what exactly **are** you?" He looked at the paper in her hand and took it from her. In slumber she put up no fight on her grip. Reading the paper, Dr. Sakaki gasped and looked down at her and then at her paper again as if not believing what he was reading.

'Keep it a secret.'


	3. Chapter 3

Let the madness begin.

Birth of a Warrior

_"Get out of here Shiyuri!"_

_"**Another child destroyed by chaos.**"_

_"I told to to run!"_

_"Mommy!"_

_"**Do you expect me to pity you child?**"_

_"AHHH!"_

_"**You're weak.**"_

Bolting upright, she awoken. No scream escaped her mouth as it open wide on impulsed, her breathing became rapid. Her eyes were wide open, her heart beat rapidly. She bathed in her own sweat as she stared down as one of her hands lightly touched her throat, waiting for the fear in her to calm. The dreams were returning and her throat was beginning to ache, it was time to go out soon.

As Dr. Sakaki assured, Megumi woke up in her assigned room. The room was nothing out of the ordinary. A bed; a couch; a coffee table; a dresser; a mini-fridge along with a sink and coffee maker. What was out of the ordinary was the window screen that showed a screen of a green field and a blue sky and the Terminal in the far corner of her room. The image on the screen made her long to return to the Plain, to her farm.

On the side of her bed was her handbag. The young man from before must have dropped it off for her. What was his name again... ah, Soma.

Going to her handbag, she began to unpack. She traveled light and didn't carry much. With gentle care she pulled out three framed photos and placed them on top of her dresser. One of her with her mother and father when she was younger. One with her and her friends from High School. And the last one was with her and another woman along with twelve guys. This was the photo of her and her adopted siblings.

A plant was given to her along with the room, which she left alone. She then pulled out an alarm clock and a rectangular desk lamp and put it on the desk behind her bed. Reaching in her bag again she pulled out a panda plushie and laid it on her bed. She then unpacked a white charm with black lining out. It looked like a ninja star with a mermaid tail bottom, grey thread attached to it that shined like silver and a black bead at the end of the braiding of the thread. She gently ran her hand along the charm then placed it by the photo of her siblings.

All that remained in her bag were her Shijo Gakuen High uniforms. Realizing she didn't have much to fill her dresser she went to the Terminal, a computed storage device in almost every room of the Den.

She didn't have much in her NORN account, but she was permitted to use her father's. And her father's account was sufficient. 428,822 fc, Fenrir credits, sufficient. He rarely ever used his Fenrir account after he left and the number of his supplies were not in shortage. He said she could use as much as she wanted, but she only wanted to take what she needed in order not to draw attention to herself. The first thing she needed was clothes.

She could get away with her school skirts, but her shirts would be inefficient. With the supplies and money from her dad's account she bought a Rumble Summer Top, an Urban Tank Top, a Tailor Hoodie, and a Mocha Hoodie. Happy with her new clothes, she got out of her White Casual uniform and put on her Urban Tank Top and Tailor Hoodie with her High School uniform's bottom half.

Today she was suppose to have training with Tsubaki. But first she would have to adjust her God Arc with the Branch's engineer, Licca, in the God Arc Hanger.

On the way she met many new faces, such as the pink haired Kanon. A cheerful girl with green eyes and a green/black short dress. And Tatsumi, the friendly leader of the 2nd unit. His hair was as black as a raven and his eyes were brown he wore a red jacket with white pants.

He was nice enough to point out which Floor the God Arc Hanger was. The place looked like what any Hanger would look, but instead of guns it was stocked with God Arcs.

"You must be Megumi," said a soft voice coming from her side. It was a woman in a tank top and baggy pants, also wearing boots and big gloves. Her hair was grayish and she had red goggles hanging on top of her head. Her eyes were brown and she had grease on her shirt and cheeks.

"I'm Licca Kusunoki. I'm the head of the mechanics in this Branch's Maintenance Unit. I look after the God Arcs." Licca stopped, noticing Megumi's skirt. "Hey, that's a High School uniform. That's great! It's rare for people to get a High School education these days. You either have to be rich or really smart to get far in this world. I went to Kuromatsu High, what school did you come from?"

'Shijo Gakuen High.'

"So you really can't talk... Shijo Gakuen? That's one of the oldest school still around, it's practically historic. That's a nice school."

'Yes it is. I enjoyed my time there.' They both smiled at each other at finding a common similarity. Then Licca cleared her throat and got back to the subject at hand.

"Anyway, if you follow me. I'll take you to your God Arc. Make sure not to touch anyone else's." Licca then lead her to a God Arc that looked like a large orange US Military knife. "It's the standard issue for every type of Gods Eater, but as you gather more materials from your missions you can upgrade it and adjust it to any design of your liking."

Licca pointed to the Hanger's Terminal. "Just go to any Terminal in the Den and request any upgrade or crafting in 'Equipment.' As long as you have the materials and the funds I can make any adjustments."

Looking at the Terminal for a second, Megumi went over to it and logged into the 'Equipment Craft.' Looking through her options tried to find what clicked to her. What really caught her eye was the 'Wand,' an assault type gun; the buster blade, Yaegaki; and the buckler shield, Dominions.

"How did you... where did you get the materials, or the funds for that matter, to make such advance equipment?"

'My father gave me permission to use his old storage... But I'll be sure to return the materials I use once I get my earnings.'

Then she went to upgrade her Equipment. With the materials at her use she was able to upgrade her Dominions into Thrones, then to Cherubim, and then all the way to Seraphim. She would have gone all the way to 'Seraphim +,' but like her Yaegaki -which she leveled up to Yaegaki II- she lacked the materials.

She upgraded her gun to 'Magic Wand,' all the way to 'Witch's Wand II.' Going into upgrades she crafted a Silencer and a Mobility Kit. She even got to create a Paladin Control kit for herself.

"I-if you're finished. Tsubaki is waiting for you in the training area." Licca said in disbelief a what she just witnessed from a Rookie.

Megumi nodded her goodbye and carried her God Arc away on her shoulder. It felt stronger, just right in her hands. A shiver went down Licca's spine as Megumi passed, something about her seemed off.

The training area wasn't too far away, just a few doors down from the Hanger. Tsubaki observed her from the windows above the room along with two men in lab coats with clipboards.

"Glad to see you finally made it, Megumi." Tsubaki said as Megumi walked to the center of the room. "Before we start I'd like you to type in your codename in the room's Terminal."

By the window wall a piece of the wall flipped over to reveal a Terminal. Megumi approached it and looked at he screen which had a photo of her with her name, age ,weight, her position in Fenrir, and her type of Gods Eater. Under all that info was the word 'codename' and a blank space for her to type in.

"Your codename will be your identification during missions away from your civilian name. This will be your permanent use of identification here, your second name, so chose wisely. Most stick with their real names while others start a clean slate, it's your choice."

She looked at the screen and the blank space like a haunting realization. Once this was done, she would be signing herself away to Fenrir. Looking at the word 'codename' only one word came to mind, a word that described her life, her family's, and her warden's.

"Misfortune... are you sure you want to go with that?" She pressed the enter key as a confirmation. "Very well, a pessimistic name but a name none the less."

With that done the Terminal flipped back into the wall.

"Alright, we will now begin the mobility training, at the same time we will gauge your physical abilities. We want to get accurate data, so relax. And if you can, concentrate on your tasks. First, let's try securing your field of view. Before taking any action, always look around you."

Megumi did as she was told, doing a 360 of the room.

"If you get confused, calm down and look straight ahead it'll help calm your nerves. Now that you can see let's see you move. Try to run, dash, and jump around. Dashing helps you move across larger distance and helps you get out of the way of attacks. Jumping will also help in combat along with dodging. It's important to keep these skills heightened. That's it for my explanation. Now try moving around for 30 seconds."

She was like a gazelle with how she dashed around the room and jumped with grace. Tsubaki and the other two scientist were surprised she was able to double jump with that heavy buster blade without any trouble. She then started to get a feel for her blade. Excitement swarmed her as she sliced in the air, changing from gun form she rolled around and fired at nothing. Rolling as she change back into blade form she double jumped in the air and slashed down. Creating a small crater and a ripple of dust to spread out.

"Alright. Let's end it here. We can move on to the next mission now. We will now begin actual battle training. Are you ready?" Megumi nodded her head.

"Let's start some basic combat actions. First, try some close-range attacks. Your attacks can be strong and slow or weak and fast, it all depends on if you put your hips into it.

"Next, we'll try defending. Your shield will only come out when you're in blade form. If you don't think you can dodge an enemy, don't just stand there. Block it!"

Suddenly a cyber Aragami was projected into the room, an Ogretail to be precise. "Alright? Now let's get some practice. Try to destroy this training target."

The Aragami roared as it caught sight of Megumi. She charged at it, only to see that it had winded its tail up for a smack attack. At the last second she pulled out her shield to block it as the force of the impact pushed her a little back. But then she released a fury of strikes that took the beast down in three strikes.

"Not bad, I suppose." Tsubaki said nonchalantly as she tried to hide her amazement at how fast Megumi took care of the Aragami. Her moments were precise, as if she had done this before many times. "If you find your health getting low, use a Recovery Pill. Better safe than being cheap and dead. You've got alot of stamina kid, but that heavy God Arc of yours will eat it away. Know your limits and take a break when you need them. Taking it slow is not a bad thing as long as you get the job done. It's better than rushing and being out of breath once you've reached the enemy.

"As you noticed, as a New-Type your God Arc has the capability of transformation. Let's start off with fighting in gun mode. You can equip three types of bullets: lasers, missiles, and bombs. I would recommend learning how to use Recovery Bullets and have equipped at all times. You don't know when your teammates might need a helping hand. Phew, long explanation. Let's practice again. This time, try to use long-ranged attacks."

Another cyber Ogretail appeared. Megumi equipped a Recovery Missile and a fire missile to her gun while it surfaced. She fired all the fire missiles she could at it. When she could shot no more she charged at it with her blade, noticing that each slice recharged her bullets. But the Ogretail was down in one slice before she could fire some more.

"Nice moves. Just as expected from a New-Type. Attacks in guns require energy called Oracle Points (OP). When you run out you can't attack, but you can recover it by attacking in blade form. Switch between forms, it'll help you survive during a good battle. Give it a try."

Another one came from the ground. She only had enough for one shot so she gave it two good slices and shot its head. The gun form was handy, but Megumi preferred the blade more. It seemed... to fit more.

"Still a little shaky, but I can see potential. Alright, let's move to the next training mission."

"Getting use to it yet?" Megumi nodded at Tsubaki's question as the other men took notes on her performances. How vex she felt that they were observing her like a show animal. "I think it's about time we add some variation to your combat tactics. This time, I'm going to explain to you how to give yourself certain advantages in battle. Let's start with Flash Grenades. These release a flash of light that stunts the Aragami in its tracks for a period of time. Giving you a moment to breath or charge an attack. Now use it to defeat the train target."

And like Old Faithful an Ogretail spewed from the ground just to be expected it. Seeing her target, Megumi charged at it.

"Alright Megumi, use the grenade." But Megumi kept running toward the Ogretail as it roared at her. "What are you waiting for, use it." She still kept running toward it as the Ogretail pushed forward to bite her. "Megumi!"

At the last second she threw the Flash Grenade, making the beast jump back in shock. Taking advantage of its movement being stunt she took it down.

"That was reckless, don't ever do something stupid like that again." Megumi remained silent and looked up at Tsubaki, however Tsubaki interpretative her body language she would leave up to Tsubaki. And don't forget you can switch bullets whenever you need to as long as you packed them with you. Now try that again."

Another Ogretail came out and immediately shot needles at her from its tail. She dashed out of the way and dropped a Flash Grenade on it. Coming at it from the side, she sliced it in half through its mouth.

"Target destroyed. You're coming along nicely. I think you can move on to the next phase.

"Now you will learn how to deal Devouring attacks, which the Arc naturally specializes in. And yes. Devour means eating the enemy. Take a bite while the enemy's not looking. You can use a Flash Grenade if that helps too. You'll retrieve Aragami bullets and also enter Burst Mode which gives you physical boost. You'll be faster, better, stronger, more powerful. But only for a limited time. Devouring attacks get these benefits because Aragami cells are taken in by the Arc. So if you're attacked while Devouring, you will fail at that attempt. Look out for the timing of when you Devour. Devour this target, and then destroy it."

She didn't have time to catch the newly appearing Ogretail off guard so she dropped a Flash Grenade and then got out the Devouring form of her God Arc. It felt like a beastly extension of her hand, **hungry**. It made her crave and she liked it. Taking a bite she felt a burst of energy surge through her. It wasn't an unfamiliar feeling, but a feeling she enjoyed none the less. Taking the Ogretail down like child's play she ran around the room with a burst like someone high on caffeine.

"Did you enjoy your meal?" Tsubaki said interrupting her enthusiasm. She wanted to say yes, she wanted to say she wanted more. But... she couldn't. "Heh. Devouring attacks give you a lot of benefits. It's reliable in those eat-or-be-eaten battles. Make sure you learn it well. That's it."

"Tell me, do you know about salvaging and scavenging yet?" She nodded yes. She had a couple of salvaging hunts when dealing with her siblings. "This is a direct impact on your rewards so you might want to listen carefully. Sometimes, you will retrieve artifacts of the era as item materials out in the fields. These are usually added to your rewards. You can use it for upgrades or just sell it... Which I can see you've already taken advantage of your parent's salvages. Good, use the means if you have it to increase your chances of survival. But you can't rely on your father's help anymore. Now you have to salvage on your own."

Megumi didn't need to hear this, she already knew that. "You can also obtain materials from Aragami that you defeat. These also work the same way. Make sure you devour the enemy after you defeat them in order to get these items." Pointless information that she already knew.

"Alright. Now keep in mind that you want to obtain items. Ready? Now defeat your target."

She grew tired of these Ogretails. This one was weakened and only went after scrap items to boost its Oracle cells regenerative ability. It went down by her just devouring it. She took another bite out of it to recover salvage items, which were only simulated items for the training purpose. Scavenging the room, she noticed tiny twinkles by the wall near where the Ogretail had fallen. Gathering them she found that they were also simulated salvaging items for the practice.

"Salvaging and scavenging is your way of life. All God Eaters must learn to support themselves."

She knew that... she knew that better than anyone. But... what about family? After fighting along side these people for so long wouldn't they consider each other a family? Families look out for each others needs and no one gets left behind. Would she really want to work with people who only look out for themselves?

"I have one more lesson for you." Tsubaki says, interrupting Megumi's thoughts. "This time we're going into advance combat. It might sound difficult, but try to follow. The Aragami that you're about to fight has different armor depending on the body parts. Whether your attack was effective to that part can be determined by the reaction of the attacks. I have here, a training target that looks like a Vajra. Attack it however you like for one... minute."

Tsubaki stopped her sentence in disbelief as Megumi sliced off the tail, crushed its paws, and sliced its head off in three signal blows. How did she know about those weak points Tsubaki wondered. On that note, how did she cut off its head in one slice.

"You... you were able to find the spots where your attacks would be most effective..." But she recovered herself. "But, also know that Aragami armor can change when Aragami are Enraged or its Oracle Cells are unbound. Sometimes, it could get harder, depending on the situation. Just know, it requires observation."

Megumi looked at the door then back at Tsubaki.

"Yes you can go. But you are to watch all the Tutorial videos in your Terminal's Archive once you return to your room. I want you ready for your first mission on the field. You'll be paired up with Lindow, so look after each other and don't die. Dismissed."

Saluting a farewell to Tsubaki, Megumi left the training room to head to her room on the Rookies Floor after dropping off her God Arc at the Hanger.

She was tired, not the physical tired but the bored tired. She couldn't wait for the Tutorial movies to be over.

After she was done with the movies, at the dead of night she would sneak out. Her God Arc needed more materials if she wanted to upgrade them to their fullest potential. Tonight she would go salvage hunting.

During lights out when she thought all was asleep, she snuck out of her room. Entering to the Entrance she headed for the exit elevator. Quiet as a mouse, not a soul disturbed.

But hidden in the shadow of the room, lied a hooded figure who saw all from the couch. Crushing the empty can of soda in his hand as soon as the elevator doors closed. Soma saw her leave.


	4. Chapter 4

I won't lie, when I was making this story I was listening to Dearly Beloved, The Other Promise, and Ventus's Theme as I was writing.

Rookie's Surprise

Exhausted from the days work, the Director was ready to head to head back to his quarters. The new Rookie's training examination was good. The New-Type excelled far beyond his wild imagination. But Paylor shrouded her Medical results with mystery and half-answered questions.

Not to mention his plans were progressing with minor setbacks. He just wanted to go to bed and be done with this headache he was having.

"Director, you have a call from Dr. Oguruma on line 1. He said it was urgent." Called Hibari on his office phone.

"Thank you Hibari, that will be all for today."

"Yes sir." When Hibari left the line he connected to line 1.

"This better be good Daigo."

"Then you might want to sit down for this. The prototype has escaped!"

"What?! How is that possible?"

"They appeared to have broken through Aegis Island's security system."

"Hang on, I'm on my way." Disconnecting the line, the Director headed to the elevator and went to the lowest level. This area was never populated with God Eaters since it was the transporting area from Fenrir base to Aegis Island and off limits to unauthorized personnel. Not to mention the security locked doors with a password only the higher-ups in the Branch knew.

Making his way to Aegis Island, he met up with Dr. Diago Oguruma, fiddling away with a computer that connected to a wide screen. A 50 year old physician and engineer with long grey hair tied in a pony tail and covered with a bandanna. Giant thick glasses and a mustache and peach hairs along with the custom lab coat.

"What's the situation?"

"The prototype has already crossed the Sea and landed in the Forgotten Carrier area. If it continues in its course it'll reach the city's Outer Ghettos."

"Hm, its presence will cause a lot of damage and massive panic to the public. The knowledge of the prototype's existence mustn't reach the public's eyes." Joining Dr. Oguruma by the second module, he assets the situation. "Checking satellite for exact location... Target spotted."

Zooming in with the satellite he spotted the prototype, a bust humanoid female Aragami accompanied by a male beast counterpart. It had no legs as it floated behind her, muscular arms with clawed hands and a wolf's head. They floated to the cities Anti-Aragami Wall with haste as the moon shined on the female Aragami's long hair and glowed on her porcelain skin.

"What are we going to to about this?"

"... Nuke the target. This project must be contained by any means necessary. No evidence of their existence must reach the public or the Branch."

"But how are we going to explain the massive use of our Branch's weaponry to the public, to HQ for that matter."

"An uncalculated accident. Our system malfunction during a security run and set set them off... On my orders Doctor."

Dr. Ouguruma set off the launching system, readying to release the missiles once the Director gave the order.

"Lock on to targets." The Director watched as square targets locked on to the prototypes on the screen as they dashed forward. "On my mark. Fi-"

But before he could give the order a Dragon-like Aragami came down from the sides and tackled the prototype. They didn't stand a chance as the best pushed the male counterpart out of the way with its tail and sliced the female Aragami with fire blades formed from its arms.

The Aragami had scales of white except the Copper colored scale on its back and an arm gauntlet on its right arm. Glowing Oracle Cells were exposed on its chest. It had a long neck, graced with a mane of brunette hair and on its dragon head stood two horns that curled back. It howled into the moonlight at the glory of it's victory and began to devour them with a gluttonous aggression.

"Diago, what type of Aragami is that?"

"I don't know, I've never seen any Aragami like that in all my years of traveling. Shall I launch the missiles?"

"There's no need for that. It looks like our new friend just cleaned up our mess for us."

"But Johannes what about our prototype?"

"Never mind that. It was an incomplete dog that died feeding a much bigger beast. We can start creating an even better one with the data gather from this... Once that thing is done, gather up the remains of the prototype."

"Yes sir."

Typing into the computer some more, the Director got the satellite to frame freeze on the dragon-like Aragami just as it was looking up.

"Hannibal... what an appropriate name for a fire breathing dragon. A crimson fire that just might have saved humanity, for now. But will it purify the lands or purge them with its flames. We shall see."

*** The next day ***

Last night's scavenging hunt got Megumi just what she needed. Before heading to the Entrance to meet up with Lindow, she went to upgrade her God Arc.

She would have upgraded her God Arc in the Hanger with Licca, but she didn't want to have to explain how she got the material to make her blade. Even she never heard of Selene parts and Helios parts before. She had encountered a Yin-Yang Aragami before, but she never seen that weaker light copy of it.

She got lucky finding that new Aragami, well what was left of it, whatever it was it gave her quite a rush. By the time she was done she had the purple heart gun, Miracle Wand Dream. Her shield was the purple shield of Seraphim R. And due to her little scavenging hunt last night, she was able to salvage all the materials she needed to upgrade her blade to Murakumo S, the purple holy blade of power.

Ready for the day she headed to the Entrance to start her first mission with Lindow.

"Hey Princess, where'd you run off to last night?" Called out a voice as she was about to enter the elevator. It was that guy Soma from before, leaning on the Floor's snack machine, arms crossed and one leg slightly resting on the machine. "You disappeared last night and didn't come back until early morning. I'm amazed you're not dozy or tired."

Megumi kept a poker face going as he stared her down. "I also noticed the upgrades you made for your God Arc. Far too advanced for a Rookie who hasn't even gone into real combat, even if they inherited their parents stored material."

Like stone, she remained unmoving. "What... not even going to write a note?" It was a stare down that Megumi was per-destined to win. "Fine, be that way. I got my eye on you Rookie."

Soma stared her down one more time before getting up from the machine and passed her to the elevator. He then stopped and turned to look at her once he was in the elevator.

"So you call yourself Misfortune. I think Princess suits you better." He smirked as the elevator doors closed. A vein popped on her forehead at the use of her nickname. Only her dad was tolerated to call her that... and maybe her older brothers. To hear him say it made it sound like he was being smart aleck. Then it came to her, he just stole her elevator ride.

Cranky and a little agitated at having to wait for the next elevator passing she stomped her way to the meeting point at the Entrance. Where she would have to wait longer since Lindow was late.

"Oh, Lindow." Megumi heard Hibari call out. "The Director told me that if I saw you to tell you to come see him."

"Okay," Lindow continued walking. "Tell him you didn't see me."

Then he stopped in front of Megumi where she sat. "So we meet again Rookie. On paper I'm your superior officer, but never mind all that boring stuff." His laid back attitude reminded her of one of her brothers, but Lindow lacked the fire in his eyes. He seemed... tired, mentally. And tried to hide it behind enthusiasm. "All I'm asking is for you to become someone I know will have my back."

Such a hard request to keep. Could she really have the back of the people she couldn't even trust?

Coming from the stairs came a woman. Her raven hair was short and her eyes were a warm brown. She must be a Gods Eater, almost everyone on floor was. But it was hard to believe that with the attire she was wearing. A backless black top and a long skirt with a long slit on its side and green frillings. She even wore high heels, how was that combat efficient attire?

Her heels clicked as she approached them. "Hey, Lindow. Oh, who's this, a Rookie?"

"Yeah, and I'm pounding her with all our severe rules right now, so take a hike Sakuya." He said playfully.

"Yes sir, big boss sir." She smiled at Megum and gave her a friendly wave before walking away.

"So anyway that's about it." Lindow said, drawing Megumi's attention again. "Okay? Ill be sending you into battle right now... but I'll be accompanying you on this mission. Hey, would you look at the time. We're heading out now guys!"

Lindow called out to the Entrance as they left. The Chopper ride to their destination wasn't so bad. As they walked the rest of the way, they beheld a city in ruin. Places plundered, buildings destroyed, all of which was a tiny taste of what covered the world. A bloody conquest of the Aragami as they held no discrimination on the living on dead as they cut the world population to one-third. Buildings that still stood all sported bite marks and blast holes from battle. But Megumi couldn't judge the state of the abandon city... she helped make some of these holes.

"Boy, this place has seen better times, huh?" Megumi nodded in agreement. "Hey Rookie, we're going to start the simulation now. You've got three orders..."

Then he got serious. "Don't die. If your numbers up, get out. Lastly hide. If you're lucky, catch the enemy off guard and blast it." He paused. "Wait, was that four?"

Megumi would have giggled, if she could, at his antics.

"The bottom line is you gotta survive. Just follow the order and everything else will be fine. Megumi nodded in understanding. "Alright, let's get this show on the road!"

There is a name for this city at the Den. They call it the City of Mercy. Some say it's the fact that the people who died from the first wave of Aragami were shown the most mercy at finally being released from this hellhole that is now Earth. Others say its the fact that the Aragami left the Church out of all the buildings standing, and mostly intact.

On the ground was only dirt and dust. The absence of grass beneath her feet was an unfamiliar feeling to her. That was when she realized that she was a long way from home. She felt lost. She was all... alone.

"Hey Rookie, looks like we spotted the target!" Lindow called out as he spotted the target by the platform beside the church. An Ogretail... she was getting really tired of Ogretails. Wasting no time she charged at it. Roaring at her as she ran, the Orgetail leaped into the air to pounce on her. Dashing out to the side at the last second she gave the beast a nice slash cut on its side as it landed. The Aragami didn't stand a chance, roaring as it fell to its death.

"Nice work Rookie! It's almost like you've done this a lot!"

"..."

"Anyway, now we have to devour its core so the Oracle Cells can't regenerate. You do know how to activate your Devouring form, right?"

A beastly mouth came from her God Arc, answering his question. With a quick thrust forward, she extracted the core.

"Looks like Sis taught you well. Alright, let's head-"

A giant roar, the was more like a shriek came from the corner of the church. A floating Aragami with the body of a woman with wings for arms and a shell that covered the top of her face. Blinding her eyes to only have them replace by one large eye on the shell. From the woman's stomach came a mouth so monstrous it would put any gluttonous demon to shame.

"A Zygote, Crap! It must have heard us." Lindow explained. "I guess Hibari didn't pick up this one. Man that sucks for us."

"Listen Rookie, whatever-"

But Lindow was unable to finish his sentence. Megumi rushed passed him, jumping into the air as her blade came down hard on the Zygote. The blow shattered its shell and cracked the ground. Spews of earth flew from the impact and a low rumble was born from it. She was in-sync with her God Arc, her mouth was wide open as if to let out a battle cry as the deed was done. But no sound came from her, she was a silent lord of war.

But the Zygote was not it let out a loud shriek with its last breaths to Lindow's misfortune. Soon after, four Ogretails appeared on the scene.

"Crap! It must have called for backup." The Ogretails closed in on them as they growled. "Run!"

Lindow grabbed Megumi's arm and drag her along as she was devouring the Zygote. They ran. The Ogretails roared as their prey was trying to get away. Without hesitation they pursued.

Lindow drag them off the path as they ran through alleys of destroyed buildings. The Ogretails were following not far behind, jumping on walls as they snarled.

With his free hand Lindow tried to call for backup with his headgear.

"Home Den, this is Lindow Amamiya. Requesting backup immediately. Home Den, do you read me?" But all Lindow got was static. "Hibari are you there?"

"Blast! The communicator's broken." And as if things couldn't get possibly worse it started to rain. "Great, that's all we need. Now we're tired and wet."

As they ran they came upon an opening in the city that was flattened out. The place looked like an arena with twisters in its center. Lindow dragged Megumi to take cover behind the remains of a building. Soon after the Ogretails jumped into the plain. There heads turned side to side as they looked for their lost game. They sniffed in the air but to no avail as the rain covered their scent.

"Jeez, these guys are persistent. I can't believe they chased us all the way to the Wailing Plains. It's like there determined not to let us go."

With a growl the Ogretails spread out in separate directions to search for them. Watching them from the corner of the building, Lindow leaned away. Pulling out a cigarette from his jacket's pocket he had a smoke. Megumi was impressed he was able to light a match in this damp weather, but points to him he did it.

"Listen up Megumi, we're on our own with this. Don't be scared and stay calm. Our best chance of survival is to take them out one at a time. We'll pick them out while they're separated, got it?" Megumi nodded. "We're not going to die today, so stick with me until this is over."

A lone Ogretail came toward their building. Smoking the last of his bud, Lindow flicked his cigarette away were it died out in the mud. Placing his God Arc on his shoulder he walked out.

"Alright, let's do this!" It roared at Lindow as he charged at it taking it out with two horizontal slices. It's dying roar attracted the attention of two of the other Ogretails. Each of them took out one of the Ogretails with a hard hit for a one hit kill.

They found the last of the Ogretails on the other side of the Plain, patrolling the area. Coming from behind they took it out.

"Hey, did you survive?" Lindow said as a joke to break the tension in the air. But he was tired and still out of breath from the run. "Man, we manage to grind out a win. But our missions not done tile we get home so let's get out of here."

But a roar came from the building behind them. Jumping into the field came an Aragami of stealth, and a design of a giant tiger, a naturally design killer. A Vajra. It roared into the air then charged at them.

"This is bad, you're not ready for an opponent like this Rookie and I'm to tired to face it. We gotta run." But as if playing chicken, Megumi charged at him to meet his challenge. "Megumi, come back! Megumi!"

Ignoring him as Lindow's voice died in the wailing winds, she charged on. As they met in the middle the Vajra brought out its claw for a clean slice. But before it could hit, Megumi did a half-somersault attack. Bringing her blade down with added momentum to its skull, shattering its head armor. Adding extra measures, she did a horizontal slice as she twirled back into balance, making it rise to its hind legs in pain as it moved back. Thrusting her blade into its chest area. She pulled her blade out, leaving a giant hole where it once was.

The Vajra let out one final wail as it fell on its side to its death.

"Are you crazy Rookie, you could've gotten yourself killed! What's wrong with you?!" But something about her stare made Lindow stop his ranting. She crouched down and used her finger to write in the mud.

'I only run from fights I know I can't win.'

"... Haha, you know you're really something Rookie. " He placed his back on a near by building that had the most cover from the rain and slid to the ground. "But then again, that's a good thing. After all you just saved our asses."

Lindow pulled out another cigarette and began to smoke. "You're amazing. Here I am smoking a cigarette to calm my nerves and you look like you don't have a care in the world. Maybe we both have problems, heh."

Megumi looked up into the sky as the rain fell onto her face. As she admired it cool touch on her skin, in her mind she could hear a piano play to the tune of its dropping beats. A sad song that spoke of the Other Promise.

"Let's rest here for a bit. Boy, I'm starving. We'll start heading back once the rain lightens up." At the word starving, Megumi's hand reached for her throat and her face flinched in pain. "Is something wrong?"

Taking her hand away from her throat. Megumi turned her head toward Lindow, shaking her head.

"Maybe you should get out of the rain. The last thing you need is to catch a cold." Joining him, Megumi sat next to him as she watched rain fall down. The tune in the rain, relaxing her back to normal as it slowly faded away.

"Looks like the rain's slowing up. I guess we'll have to walk from here since the communicator's busted." Taking his headgear from him, Megumi examined it. For a while she tinkered with it as she kept turning it around and around, until she found the problem. "What the hell?"

It was a chip blocking its signal. Someone must have put it there, the question was who.


	5. Chapter 5

I like to answer the question how many chapters this story will be but I can't. That's the thing, I actually don't know how many chapters I want to make this one. But what I will tell you is that I'm going to stray from the main game story plot.

Misfortune Will Follow

"Man, that was one heck of a first time mission, huh Rookie?" Lindow commented as they arrived back at the Den. Megumi nodded in agreement, she'd never tell him this but she actually had alot of fun even if she had to hold back. "But I got to say, you handled yourself like a pro."

She pulled out a notepad to respond to him.

'There's no need for the flattery, I was only acting on instinct.'

"Yeah, well your instincts just saved our butts." Lindow patted her shoulder in a gesture of approval. "Good work today Rookie. Tomorrow night you've got a mission with our unit's Medic Gunner, Sakuya. She's a nice person so try and get along with her, okay. Get some sleep, you've earned it. As for me, I think I earned a cup or two from your dad's homemade beer."

'I'll be sure to write him to ask if he can send some more.'

"... Oh you are just a treat. For someone so quiet you sure do know exactly what to say to brighten somebody's day." Before fatigue could hit him, Lindow walked away and gave Megumi a wave, as he left, without turning around. "Later Rookie."

She probably waved back but he didn't see, he was too tired to turn around. Heading to his room he bumped into Soma on his Floor's hallway. Sipping on a soda, arms crossed as he leaned one leg on the Soda Machine. He stopped what he was doing when he saw Lindow exit the elevator.

"You look like hell."

"I feel like hell." Lindow lightly laughed with exasperation. "The mission with the Rookie went bad. Unexpected Aragami showed up into the fray. We had to fight a Vajra in the end."

Soma's face faded into the shadow of his hood as he lowered his head. "I take it we lost another Rookie."

"Don't jump ahead of yourself. Megumi's still kicking. Frankly, I was the one that got in her way during the fight. She doesn't even have a scratch on her." And if Lindow didn't know any better he would have thought that she was holding back.

"But how? How can a Rookie have the skill and the level head to take down a Vajra on her first day out?"

"I don't know, it felt like she's been fighting Aragami for years... Perhaps her dad has been teaching her how to fight."

"Perhaps... but without the equipment to actually put that training into play she shouldn't be that good."

"Soma, you're thinking too deep into this."

"Say what you want, but there's something fishy about our 'little princess.'"

"Oh, already close enough to give each other enduring nicknames, how cute." Lindow leered.

"Get real!" Soma stormed off leaving Lindow to chuckle in his wake. Soma was going to get to the bottom of this whether Lindow believed him or not.

That night when all was asleep, Megumi snuck out again. She had excitement in her eyes and some black cloth in her hand that looked like fake leather. As she silently stalked into the night, she failed to see she was being watched by the hooded boy with the strange blue eyes. He wondered where she was going? And why was his Aragami half so curious about her, almost to the point of obsession.

*** Early Morning Next Day***

"Sir we've detected spontaneous growth of plant life in the wasteland." Dr. Oguruma reported to the Director.

"So life is beginning to return to the dead lands. What seems to be the problem with that?"

"The problem is, that the plants seem to grow in circle groups as if they busted out from combustion." Dr. Oguruma showed satellite pictures of of circular groupings of plant growth in random desolate areas. "This phenomena has occurred all around the world in random areas, sir. All of which there were Aragami in the area and then they were gone."

"Interesting... Continue to investigate this phenomena in our area. I want to see if this will effect our Project."

*** Same day ***

_"We have to go Megumi!"_

_"What about daddy?"_

_"__**Pity is for the weak and the foolish.**__"_

_"He's... He'll catch up with us later sweetie."_

_"Mommy... are you crying?"_

_"__**Join me and accept my gift or stay here and die.**__"_

_"I told you to run!"_

_"Mommy! No!... MOMMY!"_

She bolted upright. Her body was shaking, how could this be? She went out last night, the dreams shouldn't be coming back. Something about this place was weakening her will. She took it easy that day, since her mission wasn't until nightfall she had nothing to do. What a pity, she was hoping it would be quick since she was planning to go out again.

"Hey, did you hear? They say random patches of plant life had sprouted in the wasteland." Megumi overheard random God Eaters talking on the Entrance Floor as she was passing.

"Are you serious?"

"Yeah, but they seem to have a pattern of expanding in sphere like areas. Almost, like an explosion created them."

"What do you think could've caused it?"

"I don't know man. But let's hope this is a sign of better things to come."

She sped up her pace to get away from the conversation when she bumped into someone.

"Hey, watch where you're going." She was appalled by the fact that someone with such a smooth voice could be such a jerk. Couldn't he see that it was an accident. Righting herself, she saw that he looked like a pretty boy and a bad boy mix together. His ripped black pants; his white shirt not all the way button; his black tie and unruly blond hair and brown eyes all screamed 'lady killer.' "What, not going to apologize?... Hey, you're that new Rookie I've been hearing so much about. So you're the mute."

He looked her over from head to toe, she did not like how his eyes examined her. "You don't seem so special. Is this all a New-Type has to offer? You don't look like you took down a Vajra."

"..."

"Hm, right. You can't speak, it's not like I can get an answer from you anyway." He walked passed her as he continued to talk. "The names Karel Schneider. It's best you stay out of my way little girl. I don't feel like babysitting, later."

Megumi gritted her teeth and clinched her fist. The nerve of that pompous ill-manner cur. She could run circles around him if she wanted to, but that's the last thing she wanted... drawing attention to herself.

"Ah, Megumi. Shouldn't you be heading out to meet Sakuya for your mission."

'Thank you,' she left the note on Hibari's desk as she made her way to the God Arcs Hanger.

"Don't let Karel get to you. He just has a hard time trusting Rookies after that one time a Rookie got jumpy during a mission and injured most of his team. Give him a chance to get to know you, he'll come around." Soma said to her before she entered the elevator then left as silent as he came. For a guy who acted like a jerk he could be sometimes... sweet.

Apparently she was to meet this Sakuya in the place her and Lindow ran to during their last mission. The memory of that day made her crave like it did the night before. She couldn't wait to go out again.

She saw Sakuya waiting for her by an opening to the plains as she looked out at the twister. She had a gun God Arc that was almost as big as her that she carried on her shoulder. She turned to Megumi as she heard her coming.

"You're that new recruit I met early. Megumi, right?" Megumi nodded. "My name's Sakuya Tachibana, nice to meet you."

Her smile was warm and sincere, Megumi found it hard not to trust her.

"You saved Lindow the other day... Thank you, I can't tell you how much he means to me. I'm glad you were there to have his back." Megumi gave her a nervous smile as she was unable to keep eye contact with Sakuya for more than 2 seconds. Sakuya gave her a smack in the back to loosen her up.

"Are you nervous?" She was, but not for the reason Sakuya was thinking. "You need to relax, or you'll find yourself freezing up at crucial times."

A roar interrupted her banter, making her flinch and get serious. "Alright, I'm going to brief you now. During this mission you'll take the lead. I'll be backing you up from the rear. This is basic strategy for teaming up with a Gods Eater with long-distance God Arcs so don't forget it. And don't get too far stay in firing range of your backup. Okay?"

Megumi nodded in confirmation, earning a smile from Sakuya. "Good. You do as you're told, I'm counting on you. Alright, lets begin."

Touching down into the plain they moved out. "Let's search the area. Out targets are two Cocoon Maidens, the name describes them good enough. Iron-maidens that don't move, except underground at night, that shoot out needles. There, up ahead!"

Sakuya pointed out the first one they encountered, taking aim she fired.

"Go!" She ordered out to Megumi. Following orders, Megumi rushed out to lash the Cocoon Maiden as Sakuya fired. One blow was all it took.

"The other one must be on the other side! Let's go!" Sakuya called out over the rain. Megumi ran ahead, adrenaline pushed through her as the rain passed her by. Before Sakuya could even fire, she had already taken the Cocoon Maiden down in two strikes.

"Wow, that went quicker then I expected. We can head back now, good work today."

But as they turned to leave, two loud shrieks drew their attention. Two Zygotes were charging in and not two far behind them was an Aragami that looked like a gorilla with pipes on its back.

"God, is that... a Kongou? What is that doing here, those haven't returned to this area in years!"

Megumi wasted no time. She took down two birds with one stone since the Zygotes cluttered together. She dropped them to the ground in one slice and knocked them dead with another.

"Megum watch out!" Sakuya said as the Kongou was going for a punch. Before it could hit, Sakuya shot it in its back. The Kongou fell to the ground on impact. "Take him down."

As Sakuya shot from the back, Megumi sliced from the front. Having enough of this, she charged up a blow that destroyed its wind pipes and bashed its face in. The beast was done.

"W-well, that was unexpected." Sakuya sad out of breath. But as Sakuya was trying to catch her breath, more Cocoon Maidens spewed from the ground and some love baby of a crocodile and a shark of an Aragami jumped down from the twister. Its teeth were half the size of Megumi.

"How is this happening?! Hibari said the area was clear!" Sakuya was beginning to panic. "First a Kongou and now a Gboro-Gboro, this is insane!"

Sakuya was scared, Megumi could tell- practically smell it. Taking out the Cocoon Maiden that pooped up next to them, she lured the Gboro away from Sakuya. It took the bait.

"Megumi, stop!" Sakuya called out as she chased after them. Megumi lead the Gboro to each of the other two Cocoon Maidens and took them out as it caught up.

Enraged that its dinner kept running away. The Gboro launched at her for a bite, taking out a good chunk of her shoulder.

"Megumi!" She was quite the trouper. She didn't even cry or scream as its teeth sank into her flesh.

Using her good arm she gripped her bleeding shoulder as her other arm sliced down on the Gboro, destroying its upper fin. The Gboro fell down flat from the force, as Megumi went for the finishing blow. Shattering ts frontal guns and bashing its teeth in.

Her breathing grew loud and her eyes were blood shot red as the wound bled out. But nothing compared to the pain in her throat. She fell to her knees, holding on to her throat as her mouth tried to cough out her pain in a silent voice.

"Megumi, are you alright?!" Megumi lowered her head to the ground as she waited for her breathing to calm.

Sakuya bent down with her and gently held her by her shoulders.

"You okay? Can you get up?" Megumi was a little shaky, but she looked up at Sakuya to nod. "Come on, let's get you to the Sick Bay."

The Den was greeted by their soaked bleeding state as they returned. Lindow and Soma dropped what they were doing and rush over to them to make sure they were alright.

"You guys alright? You look like you've been through a nightmare." Lindow said as he checked over Sakuya for wounds.

"What the hell happened?" Demanded Soma as he looked over Megumi, noticing the nasty state of her shoulder.

"W-we were ambushed... Undetected Aragami entered the area. Not just the little ones... the big ones. We fought a Gboro and Kongou, a **K****ongo****u **Lindow. Those things haven't been in these areas for years." She began to tear up as she held back a whimper.

"It's okay, Sakuya. You're safe now."

"Yes, I'm sorry. I'm setting a bad example for the Rookie. I just freaked out for a second. I'm alright now." Looking toward Megumi she remembered that she had a missing chunk of her shoulder. "But Megumi's hurt. We have to get her to the sick Bay."

But as Sakuya reach for Megumi to lead her to the Sick Bay, Megumi backed away and shook her head.

'It's okay. I can walk there myself.'

"But Megumi, your shoulder."

'This is going to be bleeding whether I get there by myself or with help. At least by myself I'll be able to keep some dignity about the situation. And it looks hard core.'

"A-alright, tell me how you're doing in the morning. I want to make sure you're okay."

'Thanks for worrying Sakuya, I'll see you tomorrow.'

As she got to the Sick Bay, the nurses noticed the blood soaking the ripped shoulder part of her hoodie.

"Crap, that looks nasty. Young lady you're going to have to take off your hoodie so we can evaluate the damage." She took off her hoodie, her tank top was okay but her shoulder was covered in dry blood. When the nurse cleaned it away, there was nothing there.

"There's no wound?"

'My partner Sakuya is just being a little over protective. It was just a light scratch it would've healed quickly. The bloods just the Aragami's.

"I guess you can go then. Be careful next, and I'm sorry about the hoodie."

'I'll just buy another one.'

And so she left the Sick Bay in rush to not attract attention to herself from the other God Eaters.

Soma, who had been worried about had been waiting outside the Sick Bay on the hallway's benches to make sure she was okay. Only to see that she had no hoodie on and no wound on her shoulder. Sakuya said that the Gboro took a bite out of her arm, how can she have no scar?

*** That night ***

A knock came on Lindow's door. Annoyed at the timing of the untimely visit, Lindow got up from his couch to open the door.

"Soma? It's late, what are you doing here?"

"Come with me, now."

"Why, what's going on?"

"'Princess' keeps sneaking out at night. And I want to know where."

"She's probably going to some party or something."

"Lindow, there's wrong with that girl and she uses her muteness to cover it up."

"This is really bothering you, isn't it Soma?"

"Yes it is."

"... Fine. As leader, I should be concerned about the whereabouts and the activities of my unit."

"Hm, good. She just left so we need to catch up with her. And fast."


	6. Chapter 6

For one who suffers life in silence, must they also be tormented by darkness.

The Kind Dragon

The night was calm. A cool breeze blew from the ocean side. The full moon was high in the sky, and two God Eaters stalked their prey in the night.

Soma and Lindow had eventually caught up to Megumi, thanks to Soma's heightened senses. She wore a long leather trench hoodie that flopped in the moonlight as she ran. The moon lite her path. Lindow would have just written this off as an extreme sport hobby, where she'd vent out all her pent-up adrenaline in a non-stop run through dangerous territory. But there was no destination in her movements, no logic was in the location of her run.

She just ran, ran through the ruin buildings of the City of Mercy. Her pace was steady, her breath calm. Only to stop abruptly at the edge of a fallen building. In a panic, Soma and Lindow took cover behind a totaled van. She stood on the edge and looked out at the destruction. Her hair and trench coat blew in the breeze, revealing her black boots.

In a way, the destruction was beautiful. As if hearing music in the air, she began to sway with the wind. They watched confounded of her possessed dance.

Suddenly she stopped and looked in their direction, they froze. Could she have possibly spotted them. But her hands were spread out and her face was to the sky. Her hands spread out as her face looked up to the sky. Her eyes closed, she took a deep breath. As she release it she fell off the edge of the building.

Panicking, Lindow and Soma rushed to the edge, fearing they just witnessed a suicide.

"Soma do you see her?!"

"No, it's too dark!"

"Crap!" Lindow then placed a hand over his face as he tried to calm himself. "Okay, it's dark. Perhaps it's not that steep of a fall as we think. I mean, we didn't hear any crashing sounds."

"She might still be falling!"

"She would scream if she was!"

"She's mute, she CAN'T SCREAM!"

ROARR!

The sound echoed through the area, stopping the guys in their argument. From the dark shadows of the ruined city came a herd of Vajras. They growled in joy at the discovery of their meal. A few licked their lips as the herd circled Lindow and Soma. Reaching for their God Arcs, they prepared themselves for battle.

"Well, this was an unwanted surprise." Lindow laughed at their predicament. "It's been nice knowing you Soma."

"Just shut up. And don't get in my way." Soma swung his God Arc down on the first Vajra to approach. With the first move initiated the other Vajras charged in. Lindow dodged one pouncing Vajra, slicing at its chest then rushed for the next one. He went for a killing blow at its center. Soma wasn't too far behind, swiping off the head of another Vajra.

The two of them continued their bloodshed of Vajras, fighting their way through the herd. They pushed the herd back and themselves away from the edge of the building. But that was a mistake on their part. For now, they find themselves trapped in the center of the herd as the Vajras circled around them.

They were tired, each had taken out a good chunk of the herd. Lindow had taken out five Vajra's before he started to lose his breath. Soma would've bragged about taking out six, but that was only if they got out of this alive.

"Not going to lie to you Soma, this looks grim."

"Don't give me that! I did not come all this way out here to die."

"Boy... we sure could use some backup right now."

"Well unless you got a miracle up your sleeves we'll have to handle this alone... or die with a fight."

"That's enough of that. We're both going to make it back alive. No matter what."

As if responding to his determination in agreement a roar echoed from the shadow of the cliff. In reaction to this new monstrous cry the Vajras stepped back from the building in fear. This response caught Lindow and Soma off guard.

"Something's coming..." Was all Soma said as his senses caught on to the new comer and his body went on edge. His baby hairs stood up at its presence.

Am Aragami emerged from the darkness of the cliff. Floating up from the dark with wings of fire, lighting its way.

Its body was limp even as it stopped ascending. All was at a stand still, no one dared to move. This new monster, this dragon-of-an-Aragami stilled fear in everyone.

The biggest mistake set everything into motion. The closest Vajra to the new Aragami took a step back. The dragon came to life, its limp head lifted up as the moonlight shined on its scales. Blood red sclera and irises of yellow. Its Aragami eyes raised up with its head to stared at the scene. It growled, at them or the Vajras the guys did not know.

Barely able to keep up with the situation the Aragami grabbed the closest Vajra by its skull to draw it closer as it make the first move by stepping back. Pulling it in, the Aragami crushed its skull in its hand. At such brute force the other Vajras ran. But the dragon would not have that. Flying to its prey, it began its massacre.

"Dammit, this is not good." Soma said as he watched this dragon squash a Vajra with its legs only to grab another and rip it in half over its head as blood rained down on it.

"Back away, slowly." Lindow ordered. Silently they attempted to sneak away. During this, the dragon Aragami grabbed a Vajra by the tail to pull it in to take a bite out of its jugular. They almost made it out of their if it wasn't for a surviving Vajra that jumped in front of them, blocking their path.

It roared at them in defiance, it had just lost its entire herd it was not going to lose its dinner. As it ready to charge at them in their narrow predicament the dragon Aragami came from above. Grabbing the mane of the Vajra, the dragon smashed its face into the ground; splattering it. The fallen building was painted with its blood.

The dragon Aragami let out some form of howled into the wailing wind, ravishing in its victory. Once it was done it looked upon Lindow and Soma. Blood was splattered all over its face and claws. The God Eaters braced themselves for what would most likely be the fight of their lives.

But the dragon did not look like it was ready for more bloodshed. It stared at them non-threateningly, and... was that relief they detected on its face? It reached out its clawed-hand to them. This beast was acting so familiar with them.

"Stay back!" Soma warned as his grip on his God Arc tightened.

The dragon pulled its hand back, slightly, and looked at them with curiosity. As if to lesson its threatening appearance, the dragon Aragami pulled its fire wings into its body. The dragon reached out to them again, this time more slowly.

"You're... you're trying to save us." Lindow concluded as the Aragami implored them to take its hand.

"Are you insane. That thing could break us in half with its grip alone." Soma said in disbelief at Lindow's statement.

"It already spared us from the Vajras. If it wanted to hurt us it would've done it already."

"Spare me Lindow. For all we know this THING might've eaten Megumi." It might have been Soma's imagination but the Aragami flinched at his words and smiled too.

Roars came from all directions of the area. Other Aragami had come to the scene. A Gboro came along with a Kongou. As a bird like humanoid Aragami know as a Fallen Chi-You hopped onto the building from the cliff. A scorpion-like Aragami called a Borg Camlann came from around a nearby building. Then another floated in from the sky. They had heard about this Aragami before, it was called an Aether. It was said to resemble an attractive male of a Greek god characteristic fused with a butterfly or a bird with a giant eye on its crown that shot lasers. But they had never heard of one with pink hair that let out a fume with the a pleasant scent. This one also had a younger face with no beard. Not to mention the presence of the elephant-tank-like Aragami, Quadriga, stomping its way there from the broken road.

They all began to feast upon the Vajra remains, having no quarrel with sharing among themselves. But when they noticed Soma and Lindow near the dragon Aragami they roared and sneered at them, as if their presence offended them. They backed away, not understanding how to take in the situation. The dragon Aragami grabbed them into its clawed-hand and roared at the other Aragami, they backed off with reluctance.

Soma was about to bite into the dragon's hand to get it to let go. But the dragon placed them on each of its shoulders, standing on two legs it ran off. They held on to it brunette mane on its neck for balance. Looking behind them, they saw the other Aragami not brake into a pursuit of them and the prospect of a light snack. They just stared at them... in discontent... and suspicion. In the end returning to their meals.

Soma had to admit, riding on this 'thing' was sorta fun. The wind rushing pass them as the dragon ran, like a human, through the remains of the City of Mercy. Jumping over rumble and cracks on the earth when need be as the moon shined on its scales like a white pearl.

Unfortunately their journey came to an end as the beast came to the Branch's Anti-Aragami Wall. It gripped the wall, but it made a whimper in pain as it made contact with it. Although it hurt, the dragon continued to hold on to the Wall. Leaning down, it allowed them to jump off. Giving them a chance to give the Aragami one final look over. That's when Soma saw it, he must have missed it earlier due to all the commotion going on at the moment. But this Aragami had a tattoo on its chest where its heart would be. In fact, the other Aragami that appeared at the end had one too. It was a Gothic number tattoo, each one had a different number. The Aragami that saved them was the number '**1**.'

And like the wind, it was there one second then gone the next. Lindow and Soma made a Los Vegas agreement that night, anything that happened out there stayed out there. The last thing they wanted was to draw attention of this to the Den, or the Director for that matter.

As they climbed up the latter to get higher up the Wall they saw Megumi sitting on the edge. Legs dangling down as she looked out into the horizon.

"Hey, where the hell have you been?" Soma exclaimed at her as she continued to look out. "You just disappeared out in the ruins."

She stopped her sight seeing to write into her notebook. What she had to say enraged Soma.

'I didn't know you were stalking me Soma.'

"Why you little brat!" Soma wanted to strangle her, but Lindow lifted up his arm to stop him.

"Hey, that's enough both of you. We should just be glad that she's okay. You guys need to get along. You've got a mission together tomorrow and I don't need you both getting each other killed over petty things."

"I don't need the extra baggage. She'll just get in my way."

"Too bad, the mission has already been assigned. So get along with each other. Besides, you won't be alone, Eric will be accompanying you."

"Great..."

"And as for you," Lindow turned to address Megumi. "I have nothing against night hobbies as long as they don't endanger yourself or the people around you. But perhaps you should do these late night runs **inside** the Anti-Aragami Walls. I will let this one slide, but if this happens again there will be consequences. Understood?"

"..." She was reluctant, but Megumi nodded in reply.

"Good. Now, let's head back. You guys have a mission to get to tomorrow and I'm so tired I'm about to pass out."

*** Next Day ***

The Sunken Grid... an old power plant taken over by plant overgrowth and sunken from the years of Aragami pillaging. Past the fog she could see the building of her nightmares in the distance. She checked out that facility once, never again.

But this was not the time for reminiscing, she had a mission to take care of. Walking to the meeting area of her team she spotted Soma and another young man with spiky red hair. He had a small open red vest and arm warmers that showed off his tattoos and chest. His pants resembled black noble pants and boots like those of the old days from the fox hunting sport.

Soma was leaning against one of the Factory's platforms, he wouldn't even look at her. So he was still angry about the night before. She saw her anger more justified than his. Thanks to his interference she wasn't able to do what she needed to be do. Soma's suspicion was drawing him too close to the truth, he was making it harder for her to push him back. Judging from last night he had been watching her for a while and that was the last thing she needed. Her brothers where already getting nervous about these God Eaters she was associating with.

Interrupting her from her thoughts, the boy in red approached her.

"Hey, are you the Rookie we've been hearing so much about?" She nodded in response. "I'm Eric. Eric der Vogelweid. I suggest you take your cues from me and learn to battle gloriously for man kind."

Megumi was having a hard time paying attention to Eric, her head was not completely there. There was a battle going on in her mind and she couldn't afford to lose. But this wouldn't have been a problem if she got the relief she needed last night.

"Eric, above you!" Soma called out.

But the warning was too late. An Ogretail came from above. Jumping Eric, it devoured him with glee as he screamed. Megumi was frozen in place, she did nothing to stop this from happening. She looked on in disgust as the Aragami devoured Eric one limb at a time. The blood did nothing to drown out his screams as he was eaten alive. But it wasn't fear that paralyzed her, it was fascination. Watching the Ogretail savagely devour Eric was giving her excitement. It made her... **hungry**.

"Don't just stand there!" Soma shouted at her, making her come to. By the time Soma had killed the Ogretail it had already devoured Eric, leaving nothing but his blood. It would have licked that up too if it had gotten the chance.

Megumi's mind was in torment. By God, what had she done... no... what had she not done. She did nothing as her new teammate was devoured in front of her. And for what, because her mind had a relapse. She lost control for a moment and someone wounded up dead... again. She wasn't misfortune... she was a monster.

"Welcome to this godawful workplace." Soma said, interrupting her misery. "You know who I am, but it's not like you need to remember that. Sorry to break it to you but this happens on a daily basis."

As if to make the fear sink in Soma pointed the business end of his God Arc in her face. "What kind of place did you think it was going to be?" She made no attempts to respond, she was too disgusted with herself to care that he was threatening her. Misinterpreting that her fear steamed from his actions he grinned and pulled his God Arc away, resting it on his shoulder. "You're a long way from home princess. Get use to it. Times up, let's go Rookie... If you don't want to die today then stay out of my way as much as possible."

Going off to the area he sensed the Aragami, Soma spotted two Cocoon Maidens on the raised platforms guarded by two Ogretails. This would be an easy fight, he could handle this alone... he should have handled this alone.

Megumi, rushing passed him while leaving a trail of tears, took out the first Cocoon Maiden without hesitation. Jumping up for the next platform, she was going to take out the other Cocoon Maiden. But she didn't make it. Grabbing on to the edge she tried to pull herself up.

As she dangled an Ogretail came in for a bite of her lower body. But Soma came down on it with a charged strike, breaking its jaw shut, as Megumi got onto the platform.

Finishing off their opponents at the same time, Soma was about to go after the last Ogretail. But like some twisted form of irony, Megumi came down on it from above. Savagely slashing it to pieces. The thing was more stains on the walls than an Aragami, yet Megumi continued slicing as its blood sprayed her.

She looked completely mad, Soma had to grab her arms from behind to stop her.

"That's enough! It's dead!" She went limp in his grip. "We can't even salvage any materials from this. Hey!"

When she finally turned her head to look at him, her trail of tears had increased in flow. But she made no sound, no whimper. The silence made it all the more eery. Her agony made him uncomfortable, he couldn't look her in the eye. How could he yell at her now, she was already beating herself up as it is. He let her go, she fell to her knees.

"I'm heading back. Catch up when you're ready."

No more... No more, Megumi thought to herself. No more would she be ruled by this curse that proclaimed itself as a blessing. She'd put a stop to this and take back what's hers. She'd be able to get her life back, but she'd sure as hell take her body back.

But first... she'd have to set things right. It was the least she could do. It was her fault after all. One last time then never again.

Standing to her feet Megumi walked over to where Eric was eaten. The Ogretail was still there, lying in Eric's blood. There was still time. If she acted now, it could still work.

Going onto her knees again she looked down at the remains. Her heart accelerated, her eyes dilated. This would be the last time she would do something like this. With her eyes never leaving the Ogretail she took a deep breath.

She was building up something inside her body, she could feel it in her lungs. It would burst from her body if she didn't release it soon. As if breaking a dam she opened her mouth and


	7. Chapter 7

Man is quick to point fingers, but never fast enough to ask why.

A Companion in the Suffering

"Hey, did you hear what happened to Eric from the First Unit? They say an Ogretail got him."

"What, no way! He was a good Gods Eater, how could he have been taken down by such a weak Aragami?!"

Great, Soma thought, the news of Eric was already spreading. The random God Eaters paid no mind to his presence as he sat on his Floor's bench, holding an empty can of soda. Soon the rumors about him would spread faster than a forest fire. No matter how many times this happened he could never get use to it. The ostracizing; the loneliness; the pain. He may act tough on the outside but on the inside he was suffering.

"That's what to be expected when teaming up with the death god Soma. They say that anyone that teams up with him ends up dying."

'Dammit, and so it begins.' Soma thought.

"Yeah, but that Rookie's no good either."

'What?'

"What do you mean?"

"You've seen what's been happening. Ever since she got here bad things have been happening to the First Unit. First Lindow and then Sakuya. Those Aragami weren't detected on the radar, it was like they came out of nowhere."

"Wow, she really is walking misfortune. I'm starting to feel bad for the First Unit. First a death god and now the embodiment of misfortune, it's like fate is out to get them."

So the rumors were engulfing her too. Soma began to feel bad for her, soon she would be ostracized by the other God Eaters. Soma could handle such treatment, but he would never wish the same fate to another. It was bad enough that she was mute, she didn't need to suffer from isolation too.

"And now Eric's added to the list. Can you believe the Ogretail messed up his armlet. He was relieved of his Gods Eater duty, but he'll have to have regular P53 Bias Factor injects for the rest of his life."

'What!'

"Man, that's unfortunate."

"And so lady Misfortune claims another victim." They laughed as they left out of Soma's hearing range.

Soma was in shock. How could Eric still be alive, he saw him die with his own eyes. That Ogretail ate him whole, Megumi could vouch for tha- Megumi! She stayed in the area longer than him.

Getting up, he rushed to the area where his senses were telling him where she was at. It lead him to the Entrance. She was down at the lower level buying supplies from the Merchant.

"Hey, Princess!" Soma called out drawing her attention, along with everyone else on the Floor. God Eaters and civilians alike. "What did you do?"

She stared at him blankly.

"Don't play dumb. What did you do to Eric?!" He growled out in frustration. "You and I both know what happened to him, he shouldn't even be alive! ...Who are you? ...What are you?"

"You were on the mission with my brother?" A small voice approached them, stopping Soma from getting answers. "Why? Why didn't you protect him?"

She mostly addressed Megumi. Soma didn't have the heart to answer her and Megumi couldn't answer her.

"Answer me! My brother was in so much pain. And you guys just dropped him on our doorstep as if he was some kind of sack!" Her temper raised as silence was her only answer. Grabbing Megumi's hoodie she began to shake her. "Why won't you say something?!"

In fury she began to cry as her little fists pounded into Megumi's middle region. Everyone in the room turned their heads away at the raw display of emotion. "It should have been you! It should have been you the Aragami attacked, not Eric! I hate you, I hate you, I hate you, I HATE YOU! I wish you were dead!"

Megumi did nothing to stop her, the little girls fists did no damage. She allowed the girl to vent out her anguish. The little girl stopped her punches as she noticed Megumi writing something. Ripping out the paper and handing it to her, the little girl read aloud Megumi's paper.

"Do not blame me or others for what you yourself failed to do. You lack the strength to protect your brother so you relied on others to do it for you. Remember this child, never rely on others to protect what's precious to you. Most will fail to see the value of what's so precious about it. Learn to protect it with your own hands. And if you are unable to, grow stronger, fight until you can. Be grateful that at least you got your brother back alive."

The Entrance was in shock at the cold words used on a little girl who just got her brother back damaged.

"You... you BITCH!" The girl bawled as her fists slammed down harder on her. Still Megumi did nothing to stop her. The little girl's father had to pull her away. Picking her up she began to cry into his shoulder as he held her tightly.

"My apologies about my daughter's behavior. Her and her brother were very close. It devastated her at the condition he was return to her." Megumi bowed in acceptance of his apology. The father bowed his head in respect before he left the Den with his crying daughter.

"Did you see that. She's so heartless." Random God Eaters began to murmur among themselves.

"Everyone who comes close to her falls into misfortune."

"God, I hope I'm never paired with her."

"Hey..." Soma touched her shoulder, silently trying to comfort her from the heartless words of her peers she didn't have the means to protect herself from. But her face was blank as stone, it was like he was looking at a reflection of himself. What was she?

"Hey Megumi! We finally meet again, glad we both survived. That's the key to this job, right? I don't know what my mom or Nozomi would do if anything were to happen to me, so I got to watch out." It was that other Rookie from their unit, Kota. "So we got a mission together today. Let's go show those Aragami how awesome we are!"

Soma guessed he didn't hear the rumors going around, perhaps he didn't care, or else he'd be avoiding any mission with her.

"Hey, wanna have some fun?" Megumi looked at him questioningly. "Let's see who can take out the most Aragami on this mission! You won't be beating me!"

Grinning, Megumi nodded. Accepting Kota's challenge. They both ran off as the whispers came back to the Entrance.

"There goes another one."

"Another victim of Misfortune."

"Don't say that, you'll jinks yourself!"

Soma growled at them, making them scatter. Proud of his work he realized something, she just avoided answering his question.

*** That Night ***

The Tranquil Temple, the remains of a Buddhist Temple and the houses surrounding it. The place seemed so peaceful as the snow fell from the sky, covering the earth with a blanket of pure white. Hard to believe the place was overrun with Aragami.

The mission was to take out three Ogretails and a Kongou, that seemed simple enough. The place was cold, Megumi put on her hood to cover her ears. A couple strands of hair escaped from the side as the wind blew.

They scoured the area for their quarry. And like a deal package the three Ogretails where clumped up in one area. Never ignoring a challenge, Megumi took out the closest one of them. But Kota wouldn't back down, firing his rounds, he took out the one next to her and was working on the last one. The Ogretail was chowing down on some salvaging materials by a gong tower before Kota started firing at it. Not wanting to be beaten, Megumi charged at the Ogretail as Kota fired giving it the final slice.

"Ha, did you see that?! That was awesome!" Kota fist pumped into the air. "But the last one counts as mine. I worked it down before you finished it off." Megumi rolled her eyes at him as the smile on her face widened. "Now if only that Kongou showed up."

And as if answering to his name the Kongou appeared. Jumping out of a hole on one of the more larger homes. It roared as it sighted them.

"Alrightie, let's get'em!" Kota charged at the Kongou, stopping halfway to open fire. Megumi came at it from behind, chopping off its tail. The sudden change in balance made it topple down to the ground, riving in pain. Where Kota and Megumi finished it off, double-team style.

"Well, that wasn't as hard as I expected. I kinda wish they put up more of a challenge."

But be careful what you wish for, or you just might get it. Answering his wish came four roars. Four Kongous had entered the area.

"Holy sugar on honey ice tea! They must be part of a migrating nest! This is not what I meant when I asked for a challenge!"

But they had no time for complaints, the Kongou were quite literally rolling in on them. Megumi pulled out her shield to cover Kota. Kota, in return, shot her some covery fire that were doing well, breaking some armor hear and there. But the constant dodging was beginning to become too much for them. It all went down hill when one of the Kongous got a good wind-up punch on Megumi's back.

As she was getting up one of the other Kongous came at her from behind.

"Megumi, look out!" Kota cried out in warning. But he left himself open, a Kongou did a twirling punch. The hit knocked him into a building. The impact was too hard, he was slowly losing consciousness. As everything was fading around him, he looked to Megumi in concern. The noise he made and his impact to the rock wall distracted her from the four Kongous that were surrounding her. In consequence of her relapse of attention one of the Kongous bit off her left arm. As everything went black, Kota watched as Megumi's face twisted in pain. Blood gushed from her severed arm. And her mouth open wide to let out a-

"Kota!" Kota bolted up right at the sound of a voice.

"Megumi!" He shouted out in concern. He tried to get up but two hands on both sides of his shoulder shoved him back down. Panicking he looked around, only to realize that it was Lindow and Soma. Sakuya was the concerned voice he heard above him.

"Are you alright? You've been through quite an ordeal."

"I'm fine... what happened? Where's Megumi?" Kota looked around to see the remains of a slaughter. One Kongou laid dead with its upper half hanging out the hole in the large house. Another had its head smashed into the rock base of the back house. One had its arm sliced off with a giant hole in its stomach... as if something was bursting out of it. And the last one looked like it was trying to escape, but its attempts were in vain. Its hands was reached out has if holding on to some hope of crawling out of the situation alive as a giant impalement hole was in its back. One thing ran through his mind... what the hell happened while he was out cold.

"Jeez, you guys went all out!"

"... We didn't do this Kota. I thought you guys did?" Lindow said.

"No, they were still alive when I was knocked out."

"Megumi... did all this by herself?" Soma questioned allowed. Pondering how a Rookie, let alone a New-Type, could possibly do all this.

"I guess so... Wait, where is she? Is she alright?!"

"Easy Kota, Megumi's fine. She's over there by the tiny shrine."

Sakuya pointed to a tiny shrine surrounded by a pool of ice cold water. And there she was, standing there by the cliff side, admiring the moon. Blood soaked her from head to toe, dripping to the ground as it defiled the pure white around her. Her hood was up, protecting her hair from the blood. Her clothes were destroyed, ripped to the point that no tailor could fix them as they barely did their job. Her hoodie didn't even have arm sleeves any more.

"Her arm..."

"It's amazing, she called for backup using Morse code. How many people know that nowadays? She even secured your body until we arrived."

"But I saw a Kongou eat her left arm!"

"You probably just imagined it. You've been out for quite a while now." Sakuya said, trying to reassure Kota. "You hit your head pretty hard. Megumi must've used her sleeve as a make-shift bandage. This was on your head when we found you two."

Sakuya pulled out a bloody hoodie sleeve and showed it to Kota. As Kota felt the brand new fresh bandages on his head, he found her reasoning acceptable and was grateful that Megumi went through all that trouble to make sure he was alright. But that story did not pass with Soma. She took out four Kongous by herself while still looking after her fallen partner. Under a more accurate scenario one of them would be dead under such battle conditions. And the sleeve she used as a make shift bandage... it was from her right arm. Something about her didn't seem... human.

"We need to check you guys over to the Sick Bay. Let's move out." Lindow ordered. Megumi caught up to them as they where heading out, but she stopped at the last Kongou's remains.

"C'mon Megumi, let's go." Sakuya called out when she noticed that Megumi wasn't following anymore. But Megumi didn't respond, she just stared down at the Kongou. Her eyes seemed to be in another plane as she stared at the Kongou with a look of craving. She had the eyes of a starving man in front of a feast. "Megumi?"

Her eyes focused at the sound of Sakuya's second call. Her face turned from craving to disgust in an instant. She punched the stone base of the building in frustration for reasons unknown to Sakuya. She was just concerned at Megumi's odd behavior. Could it be her way of lashing out about the hurtful rumors about her. Before she could ask her Megumi sped walked passed her to the exit. Knuckles bruised and her body tense as she bit down on her lower lip. It was almost like she was trying to suppress something.


	8. Chapter 8

And so the cross begins.

Friendly Fire

"Look, it's her. That cursed girl."

"She almost got that rookie Kota killed and she has the nerve to sit next to him at the table."

"That girl brings misfortune to everyone around her."

The First Unit could hear the loud whispers from the other tables. They weren't even trying to hide what they were saying. Soma sneered at the God Eaters, he was use to cowards like these. Unsatisfied with their lives, they take pleasure at tormenting others to make them feel just as miserable as they do. They'll talk but they'll never put up once it comes down to it.

Kota and Sakuya looked to Megumi with pity and concern. But Megumi just sat there, eating her food with a hollow expression. It felt like she locked herself away from the world, hiding behind her inner shell created from her silence.

"Megumi, are you alright?" Sakuya asked as she reached over the table to hold her hand in comfort. "Do you want to talk about it?"

Megumi looked up at Sakuya is disbelief that she had just said that. Yanking her hand from Sakuya's grip she shook her head. She was angry, one of the few things she hated in this world was pity. Pity was a show of weakness and she was not weak.

"Don't let them get to you. There just talking junk." Kota said, trying to save the day. "Besides, it was just a coincidence."

"..."

"It's thanks to you that we're alive. Those Aragami would have taken us out if it wasn't for you." Lindow said, patting her shoulder as he reached over the table. "You're not walking misfortune, you're a blessing."

She stared at Lindow for a moment. The others wondered what her next move would be when she reached into her pocket pull out a notepad and pencil. Once she was done she showed the notepad to the others at the table. Soma had to raise an eyebrow at her statement.

'I'm not a blessing. I'm a curse.'

"No you're not Megumi. Don't believe what the others say." Sakuya said in concern for Megumi nonchalant negative interpretation of herself.

'There's a reason I call myself Misfortune.'

"I know that the pressure and stress of being a Gods Eater is overbearing. But you can't let that get to you. I know you're use to just you and your father, but you're not alone anymore. We're here for you, if you only let us help you."

Sakuya was only trying to help, she was hoping to get Megumi to open and let people in. But instead of Megumi coming out of her shell she got angry. Her breathing become harder as steam fumed from her nose. She wrote on her notepad and slammed the page on the table.

'You understand nothing.'

"Whoa, easy Megumi. Sakuya was just trying to help." Kota come to Sakuya's defense as she lowered her head.

'She can't help what she can't understand. I'm not damaged. Everyone else already thinks I am, I don't need my friends to think so too.'

"... I-I'm sorry Megumi. I... I just want to help you."

'I appreciate it Sakuya. But you can't help me, no one can help me.'

"Megumi..." Sakuya may not have understand, but Soma did. There are battles that need to be fought alone.

Overheard the announcements went off as Hibari's voice rang through the halls.

"Megumi, please report to Entrance. Your brother and sister are here to see you."

As if pulling a 180, the joy returned to her. Megumi's unbreakable shell was taken down in an instance by a single announcement. She jumped up in excitement, clapping her hands with glee as she bounced up and down.

Calming herself a little she grabbed Sakuya's hand to pull her along.

"Do you want us to come with you?" Megumi nodded to Sakuya excitedly and waved her hands for the others to follow too.

"Hey, I'm always down with meeting new people." Kota said standing up.

"Why not, I got to meet your dad. It'd be nice to meet your siblings. C'mon on Soma."

"Hmph, why in this godawful world would I want to go with you guys?"

"Because we're a team. We're there for each other, regardless of the situation. And as Unit Leader I order you to come with us."

"Damn you." Reluctantly Soma got up and followed them. Megumi practically ran to the elevator. Hopping on her feet as she waited for the elevator door to open. Sakuya had to giggle at her enthusiasm while Kota and Soma backed away as far as they could.

As soon as the sound of the elevator doors opening went off she was out of that elevator like a flash. By the time they got over to the Entrance Floor's couch area Megumi was already at the bottom floor hugging a rather big man and a petite woman. The man laughed at her burst, his voice was deep as if his throat was sandpapered yet still smooth.

"Haha, Megumi. It's been far too long." He patted her head as she quenched in cutely at his touch.

"I agree, you need to write more girl. We hardly know how you're doing nowadays." Said the woman in a silky adolescence way.

Megumi sighed as her eyes shined with endearment. She grabbed their hands and lead them up the stairs to the couches.

"Are we meeting someone, Megumi?" She nodded to the man as she pulled them up the stairs.

The man's bulky size blocked off their view of the woman. But as they came up the group got a good look at him. He was quite handsome, his yellow eyes showed so much expression, which made up for his stoic face. His skin was as tan as Soma's. His long platinum hair shined like silver, it was mostly straight as the ends spiked off like feathers on a bird. He wore an open trench coat that showed his heel boots and black pants, along with black under armor. People in the Entrance began to talk about the new comers and their relationship with the walking misfortune. The girls giggled at how handsome and tone he was.

When they finally reached the top of the stairs, the woman made her way around the man. She had a cute face with big blue eyes, if one could describe her face it could be as lovely as a fairies, but she held the mischievous air about her making her more like a pixie. She had short blond hair that touched a little passed her neck, but she had two long antenna-like bangs that was pushed back. She was hot in a slim way, but when they got a look at her belly.

"Holy molly! Are you hiding a watermelon under that dress!" Kota said pointing at her stomachs. Sakuya and Soma popped him on the head for that.

"Kota, don't be rude!"

"Idiot!"

"Haha," the woman laughed. "What a funny little man you are. You're lucky I'm over 8 months pregnant or I'd clobber you." She giggled her threat.

"The boy meant no harm, perhaps he's not use to seeing someone in your condition." The man defended him.

"Sorry ma'am. You're just really cute, your condition just caught me off guard." Kota apologized, rubbing the back of his head.

"(Giggle) Oooh, a charmer. I guess I can forgive you, one time." One of her hands touched her belly as the other waved at them. "Hi, I'm Larxene and Mr. Stoic-and-smooth here is Xemnas, we're Megumi's older siblings."

"Well I'm Sakuya. The rude boy in orange is Kota; the quiet one in the hoodie is Soma; and the lazy one lounging on the couch in Lindow."

"Jeez, thanks alot Sakuya." She giggled at his banter. "Anyway, it's nice to meet you too. Megumi doesn't talk about her family much."

"That's cause she can't talk at all." Kota joked, but he got no laughs as everyone turned to him.

"You think being mute is funny?" Larxene said, getting offended. Kota shook his head and hands as he tried to recover himself.

"N-no, I was just..." But it clicked to him as he was saying the sentence. "I was just trying to make a joke... Sorry, that was un-tasteful."

Megumi patted his head in forgiveness. Sakuya picked up the conversation, as her female instincts kicked in at seeing a woman carrying life.

"Congratulations on the new born on the way. So are you married? Who's the father?"

Larxene cutely placed a finger on her chin as if she was giving away a secret.

"Well, my charming husband and baby's daddy is none other than Megumi's older brother, Marluxia."

The others began to get uncomfortable at that.

"Um... aren't you guys all siblings?" Kota brought up, unable to look them in they eye.

"Not by blood," Xemnas answered. "We were all brought together as a family by a common bond. Misfortune follows us."

"She says that alot." Soma commented.

"It's true, but it was our suffering that brought us together." Xemnas said rubbing her head. She smile at his affection, almost like a cat.

'Why are you here? I thought you were in Europe.'

"We were. But we all came back once we found out that you became a Gods Eater." Larxene answered.

"..."

"Megumi, you know we respect your decision. But this is too dangerous, you may be safe for now but one of them might get too close."

"Hey man, I know our line of work is dangerous. But we look out for each other. We've got your little sis's back, so she's with us."

"Yes... to the best of your abilities. However, she's a special case."

"What, afraid of your 'little princess' getting hurt?" Soma said sarcastically.

"She bound to get hurt eventually, nothing we do can prevent that. That's just the curse of our family. I just don't want her to get hurt unnecessarily." Xemnas had his fingers crossed under his chin as if in deep thought.

"Oh!" Larxene exclaimed, gripping her belly. Drawing everyone's attention.

"What?! Is the baby coming?!" Kota began to panic, breaking into a sweat. The others got up in panic at the thought too.

"No, the baby just kicked." She laughed at Kota's embarrassment. "Ha, your face was hilarious."

Megumi stared at her belly with fascination. Larxene notice this, holding out her arms she welcomed Megumi to her.

"You want to feel the baby?" Megumi looked at her with uncertainty, she didn't want to hurt the baby. "C'mon Megumi. Come meet your nephew."

Megumi titled her head in curiosity. "Or niece, I don't know, it's going to be a surprise. All the same you should still meet them."

With caution, Megumi got on her knees slowly approached Larxene's belly. Carefully she she laid the side of her head on Larxene's belly. Hoping to just hear the baby, she got more than she expected. Her eyes widened, she felt a little kick.

"Aw, the baby likes you." Larxene gently rubbed her belly. "That's your auntie. Oh! He kicked again. You're going to be such a charmer once you come out."

"Let's just hope the child takes after you more than its father." Xemnas commented with a grin.

The mere thought of it brought annoyance to Megumi's face. Seeing this Larxene started to rub her head to soothe her.

"Aw, are you still mad about the rose bush incident?" Megumi let out a puff of air in response. "I admit, he did go a little overboard with the roses. But still, your roses grew back, right?"

Megumi sighed, reluctantly forgiving Marluxia and his transgressions against her plants... But then again... he was one of the few siblings she had that would actually do some gardening with her. She couldn't hold that against him forever. At least he was there to help the roses grow back again. It wasn't his fault he had such a fascination with the flower, even she had a fondness for lilies.

Something hit Megumi as she removed her head from Larxene 's belly as she looked up to her with worry question.

"Relax, the baby's healthy and normal." Megumi relaxed at that answer.

"Such a wonderful thing... the feeling of life growing inside me." Larxene had the smile of a mother-to-be, it was the smile they were when they felt a new life coming to be. It was the purest happiness, uncorrupted by the sadness of the world. Her eyes held a fondness of the days to come, but beneath that was fear. "I know me and Marluxia will do everything in our power to keep this child safe. But... I wonder, can we do this? Will we raise the child right? Will they hate us? Will I... will I be a good mother?"

Megumi took Larxene's hand and gave it a comforting squeeze. She did her best to relay her message through her eyes. When she felt that didn't work she wrote her a note with her free hand.

'You are a great sister, you're going to be a great mother.'

"Megumi..." She pulled Megumi up to her for a hug. "Thank you."

"We best be going now." Xemnas finally spoke. "Marluxia will start to worry if I don't bring you back soon."

Stoic as he behaved, Xemnas went to help Larxene up. But she shewed his hands way at his gentle attempts.

"Quit babying me Xemnas. I'm pregnant, not fragile. I get enough of that from Mar I don't need it from everyone else."

"Hm, how could I forget how strong you are."

"You best not forget it again."

"Hm." Xemnas grinned at her antics then turned to Megumi. "Do come to visit us soon, when you can. The family misses you." Megumi hurried over to him for a hug, her head barely reaching to mid-chest. Leaning down into the hug he whispered into her ear. "I've noticed you've been looking a bit pale. Don't try to hide it from me, I know when there is a change. You can't bottle it up, you need to let go every once in a while or else it will consume you. These days we need it more often."

Xemnas leaned up and left the hug. "Take care of yourself little one." Then he turned to the others. "May all be well with you guys as well, I trust Megumi will be safe with you."

"She will," Lindow answered. "Rest assure, your sister is in good hands."

"Hm, I'm counting on that."

"Well, we best head out now." Larxene said as she came to Megumi for a hug. She didn't have to bend as much as she leaned in closer to whisper in Megumi's ear. "I know you're trying to fight it Megumi, but you can't. It'll tear you apart if you do. This is who we are now, it's not glamorous but it's how we survive. The only reason I hold back is for the sake of my child. You need to relieve yourself Megumi... or else... we'll worry."

She pulled away. "Take care of yourself squirt." She was about to leave when she turned around sporting an mischievous grin. "Oh, that guy is the hoodie is cute. You should snatch him before someone else does."

"Hey!" Soma protested as he pulled on his hood to cover more of his face. A hint of blush could be detected behind his hanging hair.

"Ha, that is so cute!" Larxene laughed.

"Hm, I feared this day would one day come. I best tell the others... we need to get the weapons ready."

"Heh, you're joking. Right, Xemnas?" Kota nervously asked.

"If only..."

"Oh, Megumi!" Larxene reached into her pocket and tossed something to her. She grabbed it on reflex and looked to see what it was. It was a wooden flute... it was her wooden flute. "It'll give you some form of relief."

"Goodbye, it was nice to meet you." Sakuya said.

"Bye." Kota added in as the rest of the gang, with the exception of Soma, waved them goodbye as they left. The rest of the God Eaters still whispering about them as they left.

"They seemed nice." Lindow commented before turning to Megumi. "No wonder you were raised so well."

Megumi put on a big smile at his kind words.

"As nice as that was we have a mission to get to. Your going to working with people from another unit, so get along with them." Megumi nodded which was rewarded with a pat on the head from Lindow. The Lindow turned to Soma. "Hey, you're with Megumi today."

"Dammit, why do I have to do it?"

"Cause I'm going with Kota. They're still Rookies, we have to accompany them until they get use to it."

"Man, what a pain. C'mon princess, let's head to the mission." A now cranky Megumi followed behind him as Lindow laughed at their antics from the background.

"They'd make a cute couple."

*** Sunken Grid ***

Megumi and Soma walked to the Grid together to meet their partners. Soma put as much space between them as possible as he carried his God Arc over his shoulder while Megumi dragged her's.

Coming up to the entrance point they bumped into two familiar faces. It was Tatsumi and Kanon, it had been a while since Megumi had seen them.

"Hey, so we finally have a mission together." Tatsumi said to Megumi as they approached.

"H-hello, it's good seeing you again." Kanon shyly greeted.

"Our mission is to take down some stray Ogretails and a Gboro. Let's get the job done and head back as soon as we can. That sound good to everyone? Okay, let's get started." Tatsumi said with no care in the world as he jumped down into the Grid.

"I-I'll do my best today. I-I'll try not to get in the way." Megumi looked at Soma in question to what that last thing Kanon said before jumping down to join Tatsumi.

"... Kanon is known to misfire at her teammate at her teammates and get carried away during missions." Megumi began to turn pale. "Don't worry, the God Arc bullets are costume made to be friendly fire. They only do damage to Aragami."

Soma jumped down to join the others as Megumi followed a second later... still pale in the face.

Something told Megumi to go to the left, it must have told Soma too because he went left at the same time as she did.

The first thing they found where the Ogretails. There were two of them, one of the Ogretails ran to them as they took down the other. The three blades of God Arcs took it down before the other could reach them. Tatsumi's multiple piercing attacks took the Aragami down faster than what Megumi was use to with God Arcs. Kanon didn't even get a chance to fire her canon-of-a-God-Arc.

Continuing on ahead, Megumi and Soma detected the Gboro.

"It's up ahead." Megumi ran up ahead only to abruptly turn around. "Dammit, it's headed to area J."

The mission areas were broken into areas so that God Eaters on missions could relay position to their team. Area J was a little island in the center of the Grid inside the Factory.

The others ran to the area only to get the fleeting glimpse of the Gboro's tail as it divided into the water.

"It's heading near the entrance!" Tatsumi stated as they turned around to run to where they once where.

The Gboro spotted them running as it wobbled around. Increasing its speed the Gboro charged at them. Megumi pit up her shield as it rushed her.

"What an eye soar." Soma taunted at the Aragami as he attacked from behind. Kanon and Tatsumi attacked from the sides as Megumi took on the front.

One good hit from Soma knocked the Gboro flat on the ground. Megumi continued to attack, hoping to break its canon on its head. When suddenly from her peripheral vision she noticed Kanon running behind her. She had a fire burning in her eyes, it was the eyes of someone who thirst for battle. But Megumi didn't need to worry, Kanon would never fire with Megumi so blatantly in front of her... right?

She was wrong, Kanon took that shot. Blasting her along with the Gboro, Megumi was flung back.

"Didn't I tell you to stay out of my line of fire!" Kanon shouted at Megumi as she continued to fire at the spot Megumi was. Megumi didn't get up, Soma paid it no mind. Most likely she was in shock for being friendly fired for the first time.

With a few more strikes the Gboro was down, Tatsumi and Soma devoured its core.

"Okay, good job everyone!" Tatsumi praised.

"We're going to make it back alive today." Kanon said happily.

"That's it? I could have handle this alone." Then Soma looked to where Megumi lied. "I might as well have."

Soma walked up to her and kicked at her side, she was shaking. "Man you're a hand full, get up." She didn't move, Soma got down on one knee to roll her over. "C'mon it was just a friendly fire. It didn't even..." He saw blood leaking from her. "hurt."

Getting nervous, he rolled her over. Blood gushed out of her from the large missing chunk where Kanon shot her.

She shook on compulsion as the others took in the sight with horror. Kanon covered her mouth to hold in a scream.

"O-oh God... I-I did this to her..." Kanon said as her guilt began to sink in.

"Impossible." Tatsumi couldn't believe it. "God Eaters have never been harmed by God Arc bullets."

"Well then, maybe I'm blind." Soma said in panicked sarcasm, "because I see otherwise."

"This is all my fault! Megumi, I-I'm so sorry!" Kanon began to cry.

"This is no time for that." Tatsumi said trying to comfort her. "We have to get her to a doctor, right away."

Megumi coughed out a guzzle of blood as her eyes began to lose focus.

"Don't you dare die!" Soma grabbed her shoulder while the other went under the knee as he carried her princess-style. He went into a run to the pick up point as fast as he could with her, his God Arc, and her's. The others running not too far behind. Her eyes began to close as darkness took her. "You're going to make it, stay with me... you're going to make it."


	9. Chapter 9

Usually when I read a book or write I listen to music. It adds on to the effect and makes the imaging more vivid. Give it a try.

We do not fear the darkness, we fear what's inside the darkness.

Music to the Soul

_"I thought I told you to run!"_

**I'm starving**

**_"Do you expect pity from me child?"_**

_"No! Mommy!"_

_"Be a good girl and hide here okay."_

_"Get up, mommy. Please... Get up! Please..."_

**I'm hungry**

_**"Accept my gift or stay here and die."**_

**I'm hungry**

_"Mommy... Mommy!"_

**I'm hungry!**

Eyes jolting open, Megumi went into a state of hysteria. She kicked about wildly. Her hands scratched at her throat as it burned. She coughed as something stuck in her throat.

"Wake up, hey!" A voice called to her as she thrashed about. Something came over her as her hands were held down.

"Hey!" The voice called again, this time reaching her. "Calm down."

She looked up into a bright light as a shadowy figure towered over her. Her eyes focused and her breath bean to steady. She saw that the shadow above her was Soma. She was a little shaky, but calm. Soma released her hands. Immediately after, she embraced him in a hug. Soma froze in place, unable to comprehend what just happened. He wasn't use to human contact of this sort. His mother died during his birthing and his father didn't show any affection. He saw it as weakness as he strived to toughen up his son in order to exterminate all the Aragami. Normally he would have pushed people away at this point. But he didn't, looking down he could see how fragile Megumi was at this moment. Pushing her away now would devastate her... she was terrified.

Slowly moving his arms around her to hug her back, he did his best to ease her fears away.

"Did you have a bad dream?" She tightened her grip on him. He patted her back in response. "It's okay... it's gone now. You made it back."

They stayed in that position until Megumi's shaking slowly faded away. Finally calming down, she pulled away to look around, noticing that she was in one of the beds in the Sick Bay. Coming to realization of where she was Megumi looked back up at Soma. He saw the relief in her dry teared eyes as a big smile grew on her face.

Suddenly the doors to the hallway opened as Dr. Sakaki came in white a nervous Kanon attempting hide behind him.

"There's our patient of the day. Feeling better?" She nodded in response. "Good!"

"Megumi..." Kanon said quietly looking down when Dr. Sakaki moved to expose her. However, she was still able to get Megumi's attention. Nervously her hands gripped her skirt as she continued. "I know I have no right to receive... your forgiveness. I got carried away and... and fired blindly. I-it's all my fault a-and there's no excuse for it. But... I-I just want you to know that... that... I'm so sorry!" Kanon bent down in a bow with her head hanging low. Eyes watery as she was about to bawl.

Slapping sound made her sit up again. Megumi was slapping her legs in order to get Kanon's attention. Once she had Kanon's eyes on her she gave her a big smile. A smile that said all is well. With arms wide open, she welcomed Kanon in.

Kanon ran into her arms as the tears broke free. "Thank you... Thank you so much!" Megumi pat her head and back in comfort.

"We'll have Sakuya bring you some spare clothes when you're better." Dr. Sakaki said. "Why don't we leave the girls to chat Soma."

Nodding in agreement, Soma was about to leave with the Doc when Megumi grabbed his sleeve.

"What?" Releasing Kanon she reached for her pocket only to realize she was in a hospital gown. She began to feel around for something. "It's on the table beside you."

Looking to her left she saw a little table with her notepad and pencil on top of it. She grabbed them and began to writing a quick message. Once she was done she tore out the paper and folded it in half. Placing it in his hand she closed his fingers over it. He looked at her strangely for her odd behavior but left along with the Doc. Once out of the Sick Bay, he opened his hand and unfolded the paper. Something about what it said touched a piece of his heart.

'Thank you for protecting me from the nightmares.'

"She recovered pretty quick." Dr. Sakaki said breaking through his thoughts. "I'd say she be up and about by tomorrow."

"I can't believe friendly fire didn't work. It's always suppose to apply to others."

"Unless they're not human."

"Quit joking around Doc."

"Haha, sorry... Tell me, Soma... how does Megumi react to Flash Grenades during missions?"

"I don't know, she never uses them."

"I see... " Dr. Sakaki did recall in Tsubaki's report that Megumi acted a little strange during the training exercises when she used them. It was as if her eyes were sensitive to the light. Either she needed glasses or there was something off with her. "I guess for now I'll just continue to watch the stars like I always do."

Soma watched as the Doc walked back into his Lab. Looking at the paper one more time he placed it into his pocket and headed back to his room.

*** The Next Day ***

Megumi walked into the Entrance to see Sakuya watching the news. It appeared the people of the Outer Ghetto are protesting Fenrir for more rations and jobs. Seemed like a reasonable demand with all the problems in the world. But Megumi felt that instead of relying on others so much they should go out there to find their own solution. No ones going to give you a map you gotta find your own path. One's suffering will never cease until one takes the first step against it.

"Hey, this way, this way!" Sakuya called her over. "I'm glad to see that you're doing better. You had us worried there for a second. But, uh, try not to over do it, okay? You see... the greatest God Eaters... tend to die young."

"Meaning I got a long life ahead of me, is that what you're saying." Lindow jumped in, coming from nowhere.

"Keep executive's hours as usual?" Sakuya joked around.

"Sure, because I'm an executive. Alright, another fun day at work guys! It'll be the three of us today. I'll take the lead, Sakuya, you're the backup."

"Roger."

"And you're the commando." Lindow said to Megumi. "Show us what a New-Type can do... remember your training."

A nod was his reply. His cell phone went off. Megumi though that it was signally them to head out for the mission. But his look of annoyance and hate on his face as he looked at his phone said otherwise.

"Anything else?" Sakuya asked, trying to lighten his mood.

"Well, uh... don't die, alright?"

"Thanks for your very thorough orders, big boss." Sakuya playfully teased.

Lindow grinned at her teasing, but a heavy still laid on him.

But Megumi would leave him be. If he wanted to talk about it he would've. People have there secrets and she had to respect that. Just like they would have to respect her's.

*** Mesh Hall ***

After returning from the mission. The three of them had headed to the Mesh Hall to have dinner with their unit. Soma and Kota were sitting together, but the tension was high around them which surprisingly left Kota as soon as he saw them coming.

"Yo! How'd the mission go?" Kota asked as he waved them over.

"Surprisingly well, we didn't have any outside interference from the Aragami and no one was hurt." Sakuya answered.

"Really, no unsuspected Aragami in the area?"

"Nope, just a couple of Zygotes hanging around the Tranquil Temple." Lindow answered as they sat down at the table with their trays. Lindow and Sakuya sat by Kota while Megumi sat across from them with Soma, to his displeasure as he took a more aggressive bite out of his giant corn.

"Glad you guys showed up, I was getting tired of just hanging out with Mr. Gloom here." Kota said, pointing his thumb at Soma.

"I didn't ask you to sit next to me." Soma growled.

"We're comrades from the same unit. We should try to get along, so don't be so egocentric." Kota said calling him out.

"Hmph, comrades huh... If you're talking about the kind of comrades who can't even take a little jab, or you can trust to have your back, then you're better off not having them at all."

"Why you!" Sakuya grabbed Kota's shoulder, gaining his attention. She shook her head at Kota making him back down.

Across the table Megumi gently grabbed Soma's arm in disapproval. As if appalled by her contact he pulled his arm out of her grip.

"And the same goes for you." Although his tone was far more gentler with her than Kota she still took offense to his repellence. "If you don't want to get hurt you'd best stay out of my way, princess."

Thus began the battle of minds.

'We're not perfect but that's alright. We were born to fight until the end, it's just something inside of us. We're warriors, we stand for each other.'

"Hmph, I can handle my battles alone."

'Alone, we are weak but together we are strong. The same applies for you, so cut out the loner bull.'

"You can have your little love fest but count me out."

'Lovers or haters we won't break. Soma, you may not admit it, or even the other God Eaters for that matter, but we are the misfits. We're the ones who flirt with disaster on a daily basis. As much as you may deny it only God Eaters can understand God Eaters. We see things normal people shy away from and avoid like the plague. We all need each other to get through the pains of today and the uncertainties of tomorrow. No one can survive alone, not you nor I.'

"You... you understand nothing."

'Right back at you Kettle.'

"Nicely said-er written Megumi." Lindow said. "Soma, we're a unit. We look after each other. No matter what the rumors are said about our teammates."

"?"

"Why you-" Soma's words made Soma angry for unfounded reasons. But his angry was interrupted by the whispers.

"Did you hear what happened? Misfortune got hurt yesterday."

"Sounds like her curse backfired on her, serves her right."

"I wish it had finished her off so that we wouldn't have to worry at night and lower casualties."

The team was about to standup to her defense. Even Soma was about to break some jaws. But Megumi stood up before them. The Mesh Hall went quiet, the God Eaters that were gossiping began to sweat bullets. Being superstitious they feared she would curse them with misfortune so that they'd die on their next mission.

But she just pulled out her flute, sitting on the table she began to play. Her song spoke of hurt and inner suffering and loss from the outside world. It drove most to tears, even Soma had to look away as the song touched something in his soul. The song spoke not of the promise of finding happiness in the world if you work hard enough for it, but of the 'Other Promise.' The one that said that the pursuit would guarantee pain.

As her song ended a tear trailed down her cheek. The Mesh Hall no longer saw a stoic mute that somehow brought misfortune to others. But a girl, that could get mad... could get hurt.

Could feel sadness when words went too far. They felt disgusted with themselves. Look at them... picking on the mute girl, because they needed a scape goat to explain the bad things which they should have known by now was always happening around the world. They should know better than this, they're too old to be behaving like that.

Putting her flute back in her hoodie she walked away.

"That was... beautiful." Sakuya said with watery eyes. "And yet so sad."

"I guess that's her way of expressing herself... since she can't talk." Kota said somberly.

"I think the message got across." Lindow said, pointing to the other tables with God Eaters hanging their heads low.


	10. Chapter 10

As I said earlier sometimes I find that listening to music while reading heightens the experience. So two-thirds into the chapter try listening into Sanctuary from Kingdom Hearts II as you read along, it'll fit in.

My Sanctuary Reveals the Lie

"We meet again Rookie. I trust that you remember my name."

'Karel.'

"Hm, good. At least you're starting to show promise."

"Hey what about me?!"

'Shun.'

"Awesome, you remember me! Well let's get the job done and get paid."

"Be sure not to cause us trouble during this mission and don't do anything stupid that might get yourself killed, alright?"

Megumi nodded at Karel, surprised that even cared about what happens to her. But she was touched nonetheless. Perhaps Gina was right about them after all.

"Let's get started." Karel said as leader of this team's mission.

"Alright, were going on a rampage!" Shun said getting pumped up.

Jumping into the Sunken Grid they took on a herd of Ogretails.

Megumi began to fight one that was close to her. As she fought, another Ogretail was behind her for an attack. Going in for the kill with a pounce a bullet grazed pass Megumi's cheek. The shock knocked the Ogretail to the ground, hitting it in the chest.

"Out of my way." Was all Karel said, but Megumi could tell that he was just acting tough. That bullet was too precise. As if he meant not to hit her even with said 'friendly fire' applying to other God Eaters. He must have heard about her susceptibility to them. So there was a good person under that jerkish exterior after all.

She went after another one only to be shot by needles from another Ogretail to the right. Taking advantage of her temporary stun in movement it ran.

She got down on one knee as the needle stuck out of her upper right leg. Bleeding out, she reached for the needle to yank it out.

"Wait, don't do that." Shun waved at her, trying to make her stop as he got on her level to inspect it. "It'll make the wound worse. Here, let me sanitize it."

Megumi was touched by his concern but she had no time for this. Gripping the needle she pulled it out like a champ. Throwing it into the water she got up and walked to find the Ogretail as her leg bled.

"Dude, the chick's hard core." Karel nodded in agreement.

"Quite the charmer. But you better catch up with her if you want to even the score 2 to 2."

"Ah, right!"

Megumi was fighting the last Ogretail by the time they caught up to her. Shun ran in, taking the final blow.

"Hey, you're not that bad. We make a great team." Shun said with a pat to her back. "Make's up for the bumpy start we had when we first met."

Megumi nodded and smiled in agreement. "Two to two huh? I guess I can accept a tie. But next time I'll take out more than you."

'Challenge accepted.'

"What a disappointment, the reward is petite. Perhaps next time we'll go on a better onus mission." Karel said before turning to look at Megumi. "You're pretty good. You've got a strange taste in weapons and fighting style, but still good. I wouldn't mind going on another mission with you sometime, if the money's worth my while."

'Sounds like a party to me.'

"Hm, strange one indeed. Let's head back. Make sure you haven't forgotten anything."

"You just can't wait to brag to Gina about your shot, can you?"

"I'll have to wait for that since she's got a mission with Brendan and Megumi after this."

"You've got another mission after this?" Shun said to Megumi. "I'm starting not to envy the life of a New-Type."

'Hey, I need the exercise.'

*** Twilight, Forgotten Carrier ***

This bridge was the symbol of irony. In the past this area was a camp post to two opposing sides, the plunderers and those who stood against them. Both parties where destroyed by the Aragami plundering the Carrier that crashed onto the coast during the battle. Ironically ending the war. The wreckage still remains to this day as a testament to humankind's folly.

"Welcome aboard the mission Misfortune."

"Oh come now Brendan. We're alone, you can call her by her name. It's more becoming." Gina interrupted. Unlike most of the God Eaters in the Den, Brendan said it with no malice but as it was truly intended to be.

"Request granted. The mission is a simple one Megumi, take down a couple of Cocoon Maidens and a single Ogretail. So let's fulfill our mission."

"I can't wait to fire." Gina said running passed Gina.

"Don't mind Gina," Brendan said to Megumi. "She's a little strange."

Megumi smiled and handed him a note before joining Gina.

'Aren't we all.'

In one of the rare occasions Megumi changed into gun-mode. Back to back, Megumi and Gina fired upon the Cocoon Maidens. Missile and lasers rained down on the Aragami as the girls had the time of their lives.

"Beautiful. Megumi, look at all the crimson flowers." Megumi nodded then rushed passed Gina changing into blade-mode to take out the Ogretail charging at them while Gina covered her from the Cocoon Maiden right next to her.

As the girls were finishing their team-up targets Brendan was taking down the last Cocoon Maiden.

"Mission cleared, preparing for return. So did you ladies have fun?" Brendan asked.

"Yes, I saw lots of lovely flowers in bloom." Gina answered while Megumi simply nodded.

"You were great out there, you know. I knew you'd make lovely flowers." Gina said to Megumi. "Just as lovely as your performance at the Mesh Hall the other night."

"Yes," Brendan agreed. "The song was enchanting. It was like the song was speaking for your soul by itself."

"It felt like I was being ripped open, I liked it."

'Thank you, but I was hoping that it would ease your souls.'

"Oh it did on the long run." Gina said waving her off.

"I must apologize for the rude rumors that have been spreading about you. I can assure you we did not partake in them." Brendan apologized.

"Fools, taking out their fears and weakness out on a third party. I can't stand ingrates that rely on the misery of others like crutches. Those wimpy guys have no manners."

"It's a pity you had to suffer the rumors along with Soma. You'd think that one victim was enough." Sighed Brendan.

'What do you mean?'

"Didn't you know?" Replied Gina. "The rumors about Soma being a Death god has been going around for years. They say that anyone who teams up with him ends up dying. Sad really."

Megumi couldn't even believe what she was hearing. Climbing backup the Anti-Aragami Wall she ran to the Den.

"What a charmer she is." Gina said as they watched her dash away.

"She runs pretty fast."

Back at the Den everyone was startled as Megumi sprinted through. A group of God Eaters conversing parted out of her way like the Red Sea. Startled as her hood flapped behind her like a flag in the wind along with her hair. As she ran the Merchant was crossing the Floor with a cart of new supplies. Seeing her legging it toward him he ducked down, shielding his face. She jumped over him and the cart.

Making it to the elevator she repeatedly pushed the open button. But the elevator wasn't coming up fast enough for her so she raced to the stairway. In her scurry she ran into the walls and tripped a lot, having to catch herself with her hands. But she made it to the Veteran's Floor.

Not wasting any time she ran to Soma's door. To her luck it wasn't locked. Startling Soma as he turned around to see her leaning on his door frame. Hanging her head down, slightly out of breath.

"What the hell's wrong with you?"

She looked up at him, he could tell from the sadness in her eyes what this was about.

"So you've finally heard the rumors have you?" Her eyes were piercing through his wall and he couldn't afford that so he looked away. "Hmph, doesn't matter. People will talk and the weak will die in combat. That's just the way things are, so get use to the daily grind."

"..."

"If you don't mind, I only got a limited amount of free time and I don't need to have your face taking them up." Ignoring his insult she walked toward him. "Man you're a clingy brat, get out of my face!"

She didn't stop until she was right in front of him. Soma never noticed how much shorter she was compared to him. He actually had to tilt his head a little to meet her eye to eye. Not wanting to back down he stood his ground.

Placing her hands behind his head she pulled him into a hug. He went stiff, his mind couldn't process his next course of action. He had no idea if he should push her off him and throw her out or hug her back.

He found comfort in her embrace as his forehead rested on her shoulder. Somehow, he felt... safe in her arms, like nothing in this world could hurt him.

For some reason he felt like she understood him. Not just about the rumors, beyond that. It was like she could relate to who he really was, what he really is.

Relaxing into her hug he closed his eyes and let the sounds of her heartbeat soothe him.

This lasted a while until she lead him to his couch. Where they sat back to back, leaning on each other. Pulling out her flute from her hoodie's pocket she began to play.

Beyond the mess of the room, with the blades and soda bottles scattered around the room. Past the shattered screen window with a human-shaped target covered in bullet holes. There was a lonely boy hiding behind his defenses. He was a nice guy... if only the others could see it.

As she played on, the song spoke to him. It spoke of a Sanctuary, one that he longed for. In the depths of his heart he had been waiting for someone strong enough to break passed his inner barriers. Someone that could actually survive his line of work, and at last he had found them. As his walls shattered a bond was found.

Silently through the rest of the day he rested beside her. Leaning on her back, listening as she played on.


	11. Chapter 11

Heartbreak can either make you stronger or break you. In life we all must face it at least once. For those who never have have never lived.

Protecting the Heart

The four members of the First Unit waited outside the City of Mercy for their unit Leader. Megumi stared out into the city with Soma close to her side, checking the maintenance of his God Arc.

The team noticed how Soma seemed to slightly open up to them more. He didn't snap out at others as much and he actually said more than one sentence.

But what they noticed more was how close Soma and Megumi had gotten in a matter of a single day. Sakuya found the whole thing cute, it was good to see someone getting close to Soma. They'd make a cute couple if someone just gave them a push.

Before Sakuya could plot playing Cupid, Lindow finally arrived, drawing everyone's attention.

"Hey, it's another great day to work! Return to base safe and sound. That's all."

"Huh? That's it?" Kota questioned Lindow's lack of instructions.

"You won't last long if you keep questioning him like that." Sakuya lectured Kota.

"What a drag..." Soma said in annoyance at Lindow's repetitive command.

"Good to see that except for one of us our souls are one." Lindow said looking at Megumi, making the others look as well.

"Hey," Soma said sternly at Lindow. Silently implying that 'that' was uncalled for. Sadness came over Megumi, the words rang with slight truth that the others would never know, as she lowered her head. She looked like a puppy put out in the rain.

"Haha! I'm just kidding." Lindow said, slightly surprised but pleased that Soma came to a teammate's defense. But then he looked at Megumi and saw how the joke stung her. "And don't look so sad."

"This is the first four person mission these members have performed. Just do what you always do."

"Huh? Wait, what about you Lindow?" Kota asked, getting nervous that Lindow wasn't joining them this time.

"Well, you see I've been asked on a secret date right after this. So it's just going to be the four of you today." Lindow then pulled out his phone. Looking down at it the care-free look on his face disappeared. "If I don't get there in time my date will get mad and leave. Talk about impatient!"

Sakuya and Soma seemed too serious for this to be just a simple date. Lindow was hiding something, something that only the older surviving members where in on.

"I'm taking off now guys. My orders are as usual: Don't die, make sure you come back alive."

"They're your own orders." Soma said, cutting in. "Better make sure you follow them yourself."

"Try not to stay out too late, okay?" Sakuya added in. Lindow nodded to her and left. With him gone Sakuya was now acting command. "All right, let's go!"

This wasn't a date, Megumi could tell. Sakuya was acting too casual about this. She was in love with Lindow, she wouldn't just sit down and take him dating others without a fight if it was a real date. Now all Megumi had to ask herself is 'what was Lindow really doing?'

Brainstorming time was over, she had a mission to get to.

"We'll split up and search for the enemy." Sakuya instructed. "Each of us will take out one Aragami. It you get done early help out your teammates."

Splitting off in separate directions, Megumi questioned why Sakuya would let Rookies go off on their own. But she didn't have long to contemplate that, because just as she was exiting the alley behind the church the Kongou came out one of the buildings in the opening.

Out of everyone else she got stuck with the Kongou while the others got the Zygotes. Well... not like she was complaining, she wanted someone tough enough to play with anyway. Skipping the monologue the Kongou rolled at her. She pulled out her shield as it tumbled at her.

The beast was a feisty one, constantly throwing punches at her like a boxer. She was able to break its wind pipes but it still kept coming. Its persistence almost made her feel bad about taking it down, she could use an opponent that could keep up with her.

Her armlet went off. She played with her target too long, the others had finished their Aragami and were coming her way to help. Soma's beacon was heading in from the north side of the church while Sakuya's and Kota's was heading in from the south alley way. Sakuya came from the clock building area while Kota was actually fought his Zygote in the alley. Even still, Soma was heading her way faster than the others.

The Kongou was winding up for a round house punch. But before it could release all its pint up energy on her it was knocked to the ground. Soma had come behind it with a charged strike. By the time it was down the others came from around the building and began to fire at it. Megumi barely had to do a thing. Although she found Soma's gesture was sweet, it left her... unsatisfied. She lightly rubbed her neck at the tingling sore coming from her throat. To her luck the others didn't notice.

"Alright, nice work everyone. We made record time today." Sakuya praised. "Let's returned to the Den. It would be good to go home and fresh'n up early today."

They all nodded and followed Sakuya to the pick up point. Megumi was slightly paler than usual as she dwindled in the setting sun. A light flickered off the building in front of her. Turing around she looked. She could've sworn she saw something... something familiar. Just as she was heading in the direction of the flickering light to investigate an arm grabbed her, stopping her progress.

"Don't wonder around now." Soma said, pulling her toward where the others went. "We're heading back to the Den."

Following Soma's tugging hand she continued to look back. The feeling of missing something important hung over her shoulder along the way.

As they turned the corner into the alley of the church a Vajra with a crimson mane came appeared from behind the building far off in the direction she was looking. It stared at the direction they were heading.

*** Back at the Den ***

As the First unit returned to the Branch's Entrance they were greeted by someone they didn't expect to come back so soon. Lindow was lounging on the Entrance Floor's couch like he didn't have a care in the world.

Happy to see him, Sakuya approached. "So you managed to make it back before us. Good work today." She smiled at him.

"Yeah, I managed to wrap things up earlier than expected. How'd you guys do?"

"As per your command," Soma answered, "the same as usual."

"Right," Sakuya agreed. "We fulfilled our mission, and didn't lose anyone."

"You should've seen us! Brilliant teamwork!" Kota added in with excitement. "We were so tight!"

"I don't recall you being of much use." Soma said, stomping on Kota's enthusiasm.

"What? I was more useful than Megumi this time around." Megumi would've taken offense to that if what Kota said wasn't true.

"Don't get cocky. She just got an unlucky hand in the deal. That Kongou was more hyped up than they usually are."

"Aw, you're just in a good mood since you got the chance to come in and save the day." Kota teased. "Like a knight in shinning armor swooping in to save the princess."

"W-what the?!" Soma was tongue tied at Kota's words.

In embarrassment he covered more of his face with his hoodie as he turned redder from Sakuya's giggles and Lindow's chuckled.

"Haha, is that so. Then I guess it won't hurt to go on more dates in the future." Lindow said lightly.

"Huh? Aren't you suppose to hook me up with girls first." Kota said, Megumi believed he was quoting the bro-code.

"Huh! Right, like you could handle a girl." Lindow said it jokingly, but Megumi could still hear the undertone in his words.

Staff announcement! The 7th unit successfully detached the core of an Ouroboros. All Engineers report to Lab No. 5." The announcement repeated the message for good measures.

The Entrance boomed with excitement while Megumi shied away from the elevator as the staff headed to Lab 5. She didn't like scientist. But something about the announcement made her pale.

"What's an Ouroboros?" Kota asked. "Is it powerful?"

"It'll pop up if you search the Terminal." Soma answered in annoyance. "Do your homework for a change."

"It's something. I... don't think we're ready to take on just yet." Sakuya added in. Soma noticed how pale Megumi had gotten.

"What, are you scared?" He asked her sarcastically.

"Don't worry. I'll protect you, princess." Kota playfully dramatized while trying to sound like Soma.

"Why you little-" Was all Soma could growl out as the First unit, with the exception of him and Megumi, burst out laughing. Megumi still smiled which made him turn red again. "Damn you, shut up."

"Whoa, yes sir." Lindow said playfully before getting up. "Okay, I have another date coming up so I'm going in for a hearty meal."

A melancholy face made its way onto Sakuya and Soma as Lindow walked off. But he didn't noticed, his mind was too busy thinking about what happened on his mission today.

_Lindow was breathing heavily as sweat dripped down his brow. The rain cooled him down as he prepared for the enemy to charge in again._

_This Aragami was giving him a run for his money. But what did he expect from the colossal of the Aragami world. The think looked like Katulu for heaven's sake. This 'thing' was... an Ouroboros._

_The Ouroboros came marching in on him. Splashing puddles up along with shaking the earth with each step. Lindow was doing well, cutting at its hind legs he was able to break the armor._

_But this enraged the Ouroboros. In its berserk retaliation, it landed a good smack with its tentacles. The smack knocked Lindow into one of the buildings in the Wailing Plains._

_Lindow heard a snap, followed by pain... well that can't be good. He must have cracked two of his ribs. The shock paralyzed him in place._

_The Ouroboros would not wait for him to recover. Instead of devouring Lindow like any normal Aragami should, it got ready to attack. Charging up a caliber beam its horns and eyes glowed as they fired up for action. This thing didn't want to eat Lindow, he wouldn't make much of a meal anyway, it wanted to obliterate him._

_Unable to get his body to move Lindow prepared himself for his fate. He found it ironic that his life didn't flash before his eyes as he was about to face his death... it must have been really boring._

_The Ouroboros's beam was charged, it got ready to fire. It was releasing its be- SMASH! What the hell just happened?!_

_Coming out of nowhere a larger Ouroboros... no... this one was different. It was a darker color scheme, almost neon purple. It just came out of the ruins and grabbed the Ouroboros's head, smashing its skull into a nearby building before it could release. Destroying the top half of the building as debris fell from the blow._

_This was bad, Lindow had heard about those advanced Aragami before. This one's name was said in whispered fear. At times it was looked upon as the Lucifer of Aragami. This Aragami was the legendary Fallen Ouroboros. On NORN this Aragami's bio only says, 'Extremely dangerous. Do not pursuit, if found on sight hide and prey it doesn't find you.'_

_This was bad, Lindow did not need to be meeting up with legends right now. What he needed to worry about was getting home alive._

_It spotted him, there was no way it wouldn't have with all those eyes it had. As it approached him Lindow's heart accelerated, all its eyes were on him._

_Unlike the Ouroboros it didn't take long to charge up. Before Lindow could even close his eyes it fired. Lindow was surrounded by its beam's blast. Expecting the beam to obliterate him, he was surprised to find himself in one piece._

_Better yet, the pain in his side drastically decreased. The colossal slightly backed away. Did... did the Fallen Ouroboros just heal him? Did he just get saved by an Aragami... no... the legendary Devil of the Plains? How did it even do that?_

_Apparently he was going insane, because he just got saved by an Aragami that defied its Bias of predatory instinct. Never before has an Aragami attacked a species similar to its own. Checking Lindow once over for any serious injuries, the Fallen Ouroboros closed its eyes and lowered its head. It bowed to Lindow, he couldn't believe it. In its normally slow pace it turned around and returned in the direction from whence it came. Leaving a flabbergasted Lindow, stunned in his spot. _

A tap on his shoulder.

Shocked out of his reminiscing Lindow jumped and turned to the direction of the hand that shot back to its owner.

"Oh, its you. Sorry about that Megumi." Somehow while in his thoughts Lindow had made his way to the Sick Bay.

'You seem hurt. Are you alright?'

"Huh? Yeah it was just a scratch. I'm just being safe than sorry." Lindow then patted her head. "Thanks for looking out for your team Rookie. Keep up the good work."

'You didn't talk much about your mission so I'm glad you're okay.'

"Aw, that's sweet. Did you miss having me on the mission. Don't worry I'll make it up to you you guys on the next mission. It'll be me, you, Sakuya, and Kota."

'What about Soma?'

"Ah, Soma has a mission of his own to take care of. You just focus on your mission at hand, got it?"

She was reluctant at first but in the end nodded in compliance.

"Good. Now get some rest, we've got a big day tomorrow."

Waving goodbye she left him in the Sick Bay and headed to her room.

Once in the surety of her room she pulled out her phone and dialed a number. It rang...

Ring, ring. Ring, ring.

"I should've known you'd call." Relief came over Megumi.

"..."

"Don't worry, I'm fine. Don't misunderstand, I only did it for you."

"..."

"You'd best tell your team to be careful. Next time I won't be there to save them."

The other line cut off, silence consumed the room again.


	12. Chapter 12

To win the heart of another you must also win the hearts of their blood.

And so The Family Returns

Deep within the City of Mercy a hooded figures jumps down from a ruin building, approaching a lone hooded figure. All of them sporting the same get-up of black leather trench hoodie, black gloves leather gloves and boots to conceal their identity.

"Sulking by yourself No. 9," one of them teased the lone figure.

"We're alone out here, can't we call each other by name." Wined the lone figure.

"The walls have ears 9. Things cannot be trusted here." Said one of the other group figures, this one more calm and monotone.

"On guard as always 8. Can't you relax even for a little bit?"

"We could say the same about you 9. You've been out here for days." Said the last figure, by the sound of his voice he seemed older.

"Just because you can't stake out for more than a day old man doesn't mean we can't." 9 retorted back.

"The nerve of young people these days! They've got no respect for their elders!"

"I do have respect for you 5," replied 9. "I just don't care to show you."

"Why you-" 8 raised his arm, stopping 5 mid-rant.

"That's all nice and well 9. But-"

"No it's not!" 5 cut in.

"However, that doesn't explain why you're out here."

"..." 9 turned to look out into the ruin city as the sun began to rise over the horizon.

"Are you upset that 2 saved that Gods Eater?" 3 teased at first then he thought it over. "I have to admit, his actions were far too risky to our existence. His rash actions could have brought attention to everything we've fought so hard to protect."

"It's not just that..." At last 9 turned back to them. "You all know why we've gathered here again. It's because King willingly walked into enemy territory."

"It's 1's choice. What ever reason for it I'm sure it's a good one." 9 replied.

"Once they've found out what King is they're going to destroy her!"

"Or try to."

"3!" 9 and 5 shouted at him.

"That was uncalled for No. 3." 8 said sternly.

"What, it's the truth." 3 said, raising his hands in surrender. "C'mon guys. We all know that 1 can handle herself."

"Still..." 5 said, rubbing his chin as he thought out loud. "The Aragami here have become more restless than the last time we've been in this area. And I hate to admit it but it's been effecting us too."

"..." They all went quiet, noting that what 5 said was true.

"It's been getting worse with each passing day to the point of reaching our assigned territories. I believe she is investigating to see if it's an outside interference."

"Perhaps... but did she really need them to leash her." Said 9. " It's bad enough she has to stay among them. But to also be chained by them is a low blow."

"Aw, big brother 9 is getting worried about his little sis staying in a Den of boys." 3 said teasingly while poking at 9. 9's temper flared as he smacked 3's hand away.

"Oh course I'm worried about that! Boys at that age are like animals, they'll eat her alive!"

"I heard from 13 that she already has a love interest." Commented 8, you could see the flames coming off of 9.

"What?!"

"Yeah, apparently a 'hot guy with a slight emo complex' has taken an interest in our fair 1." 5 added in. " I believe his name was Soma."

"Hmph, as if he could handle her." 9 smirked, crossing his arms. "If he's moody enough to be labeled emo he can't be good enough for her."

"Getting soft are we 9." 3 continued to mess with 9, almost wishing to start up trouble so he could watch the explosive aftermath. "Poor protective older brother. Scared of little 1 growing up and actually taking an interest in boys. No wonder why 2 made you look after the pups, you're a nanny for the the job."

"Cut the crap 3." Sneered 9, getting in an aggressive stance. "Or I'll cut it for you."

"I'd like to see you try, hot head." 3 egged on, grinning as he got in a fighting stance too. His hands behind his back, ready to pull our his choice of weapon.

"Enough you two!" 8 ordered. "We don't have time for your bickering. We need to head back."

"You guys go, I'll catch you later." 9 said, waving them off.

"9... what are you planning?" 8 questioned, knowing the usual reason behind 9's reluctance. He was up to something.

"I'm just waiting for this Soma kid," answered 9. " I want to test him."

"... Don't over due it."

"You got it," 9 grinned at him through his hood before they disappeared. Once they were gone 9 looked out to the rising sun. "Soma huh? You better give me one hell of a show!"

*** Back at the Den ***

A sneeze rang out in the Veteran's Hallway.

"Morning Soma." Lindow greeted, coming up to the elevator door beside Soma, waiting for it along with Soma. "Coming down with a cold? That's new."

"No, it was just a sneeze."

"Or maybe someone is talking about you behind your back."

"Don't say stupid things Lindow, it rots your brain."

"Haha, ouch." Lindow laughed, playfully sounding hurt. The doors open with a ding, allowing them to go in. " Anyway, I'm heading to the Rookie Floor to pick up the Rookies. Wanna tag along?"

"Hmph, sure. I don't really want to go on this damn mission anyway."

"Your old man sending you on another Search mission?"

"Yeah, but God knows what I'm suppose to find."

"Hey, orders from the top. Not like we can do much about it." Lindow said as they walked out onto the Rookie's Floor.

"I got Kota if you got Megumi." Lindow said, knocking on Kota's door. Soma didn't even protest as he walked to Megumi's door.

Banging on the door he waited until she opened it. She only exposed the upper half of her body, showing only the tank-top she wore.

"Get up. You got a mission to get to."

"?" She pulled out her notepad. 'I thought you weren't going on this mission with us.'

"I'm not, I'm just here to collect you."

'Lovely. Well, I best get ready. Give me a sec.' Closing the door for a minute she got dressed, ready to open the door to the world. 'Okay, I'm decent now.' She showed him before placing her hands in her hoodie pocket.

"Hmph, if you call it that." Soma teased.

'This coming from the shy boy. Here is this better.' She wrote before pulling her hood over her head and did a look over spin.

"Idiot."

'So un-pleasable."

"C'mon, princess." Soma said, giving her a light push forward. Walking over to the others they were welcomed by teasing looks from Lindow and Kota.

"Morning Megumi," greeted Kota. "How was your wake up call?"

'Charming. And yours?'

"Annoying," Kota answered with exhaustion. "I was having a good nape."

"No rest for the wicked I always say." Lindow lectured.

"No you don't." "This is the first I heard of it." 'Liar.' Kota, Soma, and Megumi said- wrote in Megumi's case- to Lindow at the same time.

"Yeah well I'm saying it now." Lindow shot back at them. "C'mon, the Aragami wait for no one."

Getting into the game they needed to the Entrance to get their mission. Sakuya woke up earlier and was waiting for them up there.

But... something about the Entrance was... different.

The Merchant sold products; Tsubaki and Gen monitor the Floor; and Hibari manned the Mission desk like always. But there were new blue eyed faces there that were starting up a commotion.

A big bulky guy with short wavy spiked back orangish-brown hair and a flat nose was talking to Gen. Bonding over battle stories to be exact.

While a smaller, more slim, guy that was around Soma's age leaned on the railing of the lower floor, reading a book. His hair was short and blue, it was straight but spiked out wildly as long strands covered his right eye. He had a cool expression on his face as he watched another boy, that was slightly older than him, from his peripheral vision.

Now this boy sported a spiked mullet with his light brown hair. He had the face of a surfer but the vibe of a rock star with that blue electric guitar strapped on his back. The guy was flirting with Hibari as a tense Tatsumi did his best to block him.

"I don't see what the problem is dude. I was just asking this fine lady to go out with me for a bite to eat."

"As if I would trust sweet Hibari in the hands of a complete stranger. I've never seen you in the Den before." Tatsumi jibbed back.

"The name's Demyx." He said, bowing down before brushing his hair back. "To the fellas I'm trouble, to the ladies I'm a surprise." He wiggled his eyebrows at Hibari for the last part.

"There! You hear that Hibari, he's trouble." Tatsumi said, pointing an accusing finger at Demyx. "Don't trust him Hibari, he's no good for you."

"Sir, I can assure you although Demyx is an idiot he's certainly not dangers." Said the young man with blue hair, not even lifting his eyes from his book to break concentration.

"Thanks for the support, Zexion."

"It's not my fault you're acting like an idiot." Zexion said, nonchalantly while turning the page. "You're the one who can't see that the lady isn't interested and causing a scene. Way to make a first impression, brother."

"Ah, who asked for your opinion, Nerd." Demyx said, waving him off. One could see they were close since Zexion took no offense to him. After waving him off, Demyx turned back to Hibari. Taking her hand he looked into her eyes. "So what do yah say Gorgeous, wanna ditch this place and go on a date with me?"

"Wha- uh... I... " Hibari was speechless by how forward he was.

"Unhand her you-" But Tatsumi couldn't finish that command. For Megumi had entered the scene. Grabbing Demyx by the ear she yanked him back, causing him to let go of Hibari's hand as he wiggled in agony. Still holding his ear Megumi bowed in apology, forcing him to bow too. Leaving a note on the desk she dragged him to the couch area.

'Sorry about my brother, he's a bit of a flirt.'

Confused at to what just happened, they just accepted it as a piece of Misfortune's crazy family.

Finally reaching the upper floor she tossed Demyx onto the couch, causing a commotion as her unit and Zexion followed behind.

"Ah, so the little sister arrives to put a leash on the rampant dog." Zexion said, finally closing his back.

"..."

"Don't give me that look Megumi. It would have been far too troublesome for me to contain him."

'Why are you here?'

"Aw, what's wrong sis? You're not happy to see us?" Demyx pouted.

'No it's not that, I'm glad to see my boys. But I am curious to what brings this sudden visit.'

Breaking from his conversation with Gen the larger man approached them. The others were taken aback by such a big man gently rubbing Megumi's head.

"Of course we came to see how you're doing. Making sure they're treating you well." Her face squished up with a smile at his antics.

"Also we wanted to meet this Soma guy." Demyx added in.

"..."

"We've been hearing a lot about him from Larxene. We just wanted to see if the rumors were true." Zexion said.

"What exactly did Larxene tell you?"

"Kota," Soma said warningly.

"Hm, but how rude of us. We haven't introduced ourselves." Zexion jumped in. "I'm Zexion and the buffoon with a guitar is Demyx."

"Watch it, Bookworm." Ignoring Demyx, Zexion continued on.

"And the giant beside Megumi is Lexaeus."

"You may call me Lex for short." Offered Lexaeus, slightly bowing his head in greeting.

"Well I'm Kota and the big guy in the black jacket is Lindow."

"Whoa, and who's this fine honey? Too pretty to fighting the bad guys that's for sure." Demyx flirted at Sakuya, taking her hand for a kiss. But Lindow blocked him causing Sakuya to blush.

"Her name is Sakuya. And you better watch out, she has one hell of a shot."

"And apparently has one hell of a guard dog." Demyx said, raising his hands in defeat. "Alright, I know when I'm beat."

"Not like you had a chance to begin with."

"Shut it Zexion!"

"That's enough you two." Lex said, interfering. "We still haven't found out who this young man is."

Noticing that he was looking at Soma, Kota decided to cause some trouble.

"Oh, the moody guy there is Soma."

"Damn you, shut up." Soma said, smacking Kota's finger away. The three turned more serious as Zexion and Lex looked Soma over inconspicuously. While Demyx did a whole circle around to size him up.

"So you're Soma..." Demyx said out loud.

"What's it to you?" Soma's eyes slanted as he shot out that retort. He didn't like how Demyx was looking at him. It brought out the primal side of him that called for Soma to stake his dominance. Hmph... men.

"Hm... I don't see what Larxene was talking about." Demyx said, slanting his eyes as well. "You're not charming and you're far from good enough to date Megumi."

"What?"

"Hmph, I knew you two had a thing!"

"Shut up Kota." Soma said without breaking eye contact with Demyx.

'You came all the way here for that?! That is beyond foolish.'

"Megumi, as your older brother it is my duty to make sure the guy you choose can protect you along with treats you right." Demyx then brought his eyes back to Soma. "Look at this guy. He's one of those jerks that neglects your existence that girls somehow find irresistible. He doesn't even look strong enough to handle you."

"They put me in the 1st unit for a reason punk." Soma growled as he puffed up. Both of them got in each others faces as they pushed on each others forehead. "Want me to show you why?"

"Bring it on, Albino. I'll whack the color back into your hair with my guitar."

"He's not albino Demyx. His skin produces pigment melanin." Zexion said slightly bored at having to correct him.

"Really? Then what's with his hair?"

"He's extremely bleach blond to the point it's platinum. Just like Xemnas."

"Wow, that's interesting. But that's not the point, you're going down kid!" Demyx said, pushing back at Soma full force again.

"I highly doubt that, Airhead."

"Oh you are dead!"

"Enough Demyx." Lex said, grabbing the top of Demyx's head and moving him back. "Honestly Megumi, we don't mind who you choose to date. We just wanted to see him for ourselves to make sure he makes you happy."

'But I'm not-' Was all Megumi could write before she was pulled in by a strong arm to Soma's side.

"You needn't worry, she's in good hands."

"Like funk I'll approve!" Demyx began to rant, jumping up and down.

'Soma, what the hell are you doing?' Megumi wrote for only Soma to see in the tight space she was given by his arm.

"Just having some fun." Soma whispered into her ear.

'You're just doing this to mess with Demyx, aren't you?' Soma grinned down at her.

"A little. But, it would be a lie if I said I wasn't interested."

"..." Her eyes widened in shock. 'I don't care what Demyx says, you're quite the charmer.'

"Is that a yes?"

'... Yes... But you do realize my brothers are going to try and kill you.' Her cheeks began to flush as a blush went up to her ears.

"Let'em try. I could use the exercise."

"I don't think your approval matters, Demyx." Zexion said, breaking the two from their private conversation. "Megumi has already made her decision."

"Sis, no." Demyx wined. "Big brother isn't ready for this, you're growing too fast."

"There, there Demyx. It's only fair." Lex said, patting Demyx's shoulder. "I mean, Roxas already has a girlfriend. Megumi was bound to get a boyfriend soon enough."

"No! Not my baby sis!" Demyx said dramatically as he grabbed his head. Composing himself he pointed at Soma. "You may have won this round. But this is just the votes of a few of us. Mark my words, this is a big family with many brothers. So watch yourselves, cause we're coming to get you."

"Hmph, bring it." Was all Soma said as he pulled Megumi closer. "I'll take them on as many times as it takes."

"How quaint, you've got heart." Zexion said, closing his eyes he grinned. "No wonder Xemnas likes you."

"Really? That guy seemed pretty quiet to me the last time we saw him." Kota questioned.

"Trust me, he does."

"Ah, guys! I'd hate to interrupted but you better get going. You have a mission to get to." Called out Hibari.

"It appears our time here is up. I'd hate to hold you up for your mission."

"No, I ain't done yet!" Demyx shouted before Lex grabbed him and hoisted him up on his shoulder like a sack.

"Take care of yourself Megumi." Lex said patting her head with his free hand. "I know Xemnas and Larxene have already gotten on you about that so I'll leave you be."

Then Lex turned and nodded a goodbye to everyone else. "It was nice to meet you all. Even you, Soma."

"Like wise." They all said while Soma simply nodded.

"Before we go, there's something I'd like to see." Zexion said coming up to Megumi. "May I see your armlet Megumi?"

Complying to her brother Megumi held out her arm to him. He looked it over, turning her wrist from side to side.

"Fascinating... so this Fenrir technology. A little inconvenient really, you'll never be able to take this off." Zexion examined the armlet with his fingers. Unannounced to the others he slipped a chip through it.

"Come now sister, can't I get a good bye hug before we go." Zexion said opening his arms out welcoming her. Leaving Soma's arm, Megmi went to Zexion for a hug. While hugging he whispered into her ear. "The tracker has been disabled. You can shut it on or off and take the armlet off anytime you like. So please... don't hold it in any longer, before it does serious damage."

Breaking free, Zexion left the other two. Opening his book was his way of saying this conversation was over. "Roxas and the others will pay you a visit soon. So behave yourself."

'Don't I always.'

"Hm, yes... perhaps. I worry too much. Farewell for now." And like that they where gone.

"Jeez, Megumi. Your family sure is interesting." Lindow commented. "I don't think the Den will ever get boring with them around."

"You're family sure is big. It must be nice," said Sakuya.

'It is. Crazy, but nice.'

"Well look at you Soma!" Kota said patting Soma in the back. "You go off for a mission and end up with a girlfriend before you even leave the Den!"

The others giggled at this, even the other God Eaters in the Entrance. Soma began to change color in the cheeks.

"Shut the hell up Kota." Soma said through clinched teeth.

"Aw, you guys look so cute together."

"Not you too Sakuya."

"Alright, alright. We can tease the new couple later, after our missions are done." Lindow said, saving the day for Soma in a way. "Don't you have somewhere to be."

"Right..." Soma sighed out, about to head out before Megumi grabbed his sleeve. "What?"

'Be careful.'

"Yeah... you too."

"Aw, they are just too cute!" Sakuya gushed.

"S-shut up! I'm leaving." Soma stormed off. His face burning up as he rushed to the elevator, Megumi's face none the different.

"Well, what are we waiting for?" Lindow said to the group after Soma left. "We've got a mission to finish."

*** City of Mercy ***

Soma was looking around the church on a special Search Mission the Director sent him on. For years his father has been sending him on these empty missions with little to no information as to what he was looking for.

This time the Director came him more to go with. Apparently he was going to search for the Aragami he met with Lindow out in the ruin city, unannounced to the Director. The name of the Aragami was dubbed Hannibal... But he hasn't seen nor heard of any activity from that Aragami since their first encounter.

Just when he was about to give up and head back Soma felt something coming from inside the church.

"Huh? Someone there?" Cautiously he entered the Sanctuary. Looking around he saw nothing. "... I imagined it."

A ring came from his pocket as his communicator went off. Pulling it out he answered it.

"This is Soma... so far no contact with the target... We'll continue to investigate." Hanging up he was about to leave the church when he felt the spike again, behind him.

Turning around he was greeted by a hooded man in a black leather trench coat and boots. Standing in the Aragami opening of the church. It was a giant hole where the church window once was. His leather gloved hands clapping as he laughed.

"Ha haha, you're good. My how sensitive you are, I wasn't expecting you to be able to pick me up." The man jumped down, catching himself with his right arm as he righted himself. "Your name's Soma, right?"

"What's it to you?" Soma growled at him. Something about this man had Soma on edge.

"Boy, talk about cold with a capital 'C'." The man pulled down his hood to reveal a full head of fiery red spiked hair. His eyes were a vibrant green, but what really stood out was the blueish tear drop tattoos at the bottom center of each of his eyes. Judging from his face Soma guessed he was in his early 20s.

"The name's Axel." He said before pointing to his head. "Got it memorized?"

"Uh... sure." Soma said, confused by his antics.

"Good, good. Now that we're on a first name bases..." Axel said as he reached behind himself to pull out two ring blades with daggers that pointed out in all eight directions. He had his arms stretched out in a battle stance that left him open. Soma saw this as a sign that Axel didn't see him as a threat. "Don't you go dying on me."

He jumped down at Soma with both ring blades, forcing Soma to parry at the last second. Soma pushed him off and sliced back at him, but Axel twisted out of the way.

As Axel dodged Soma he threw his blades at Soma as they came at him with precession. It almost felt like he was controlling the blades to Soma as he blocked them with his shield. But as he was changing back to blade form the blades had already twirled into Axel's hand as Axel charged at Soma.

Soma moved to the side, two close for comfort as the blades grazed his cheek. Axel began to laugh hysterically.

"You seem to be having fun." Soma poked at Axel as he steadied himself.

"The time of my LIFE!" Axel struck upward at him as he was getting up from the ground.

Soma jumped back only to dash forward in a 1-2-3 strike as Axel moved from side to side and kicked him back at the last one. Axel had the advantage of height and distance over Soma, but that would stop him.

Changing at Axel again, Soma was going in for a strike as Axel ran to meet him half way. But at the last second Soma changed his plans. Moving to the side he hit Axel with the butt of his blade. Axel leaned forward as the wind was being knocked out of him. Taking advantage of this, Soma came at him with a hard right hook. Slamming Axel back to crash into the church's rumble by the Aragami entrance.

Axel wasn't getting up, Soma believed that he had won.

"Ahahaha! That was fun!" Axel began to laugh before tilting his head to look at Soma making, Soma jump back and getting back into battle stance on reflex. "You're not half bad!"

"And you're not half crazy."

"Need to work on your comebacks though." Axel commented before instantly jumping back up. Soma tightened his grip on his God Arc. "Easy tiger, I'm done for the day. You've won my vote for now kid, best not lose it."

Axel then jumped on the Aragami entrance before looking back to Soma. "I'll let you be. I see things will get interesting with you around." Turning around fully, he opened his arms wide. "You better give me one hell of a show!"

With that said he leaped out of the church.

"Hey wait!" Soma said rushing out of the church to the area Axel leaped. But he was long gone. Soma would sense no traces of him. With nothing to go on he left.

Returning to the Den he bumped into the others in the God Arc Hanger.

"Hey we made it back at the same time." Lindow said, greeting Soma along with the others.

"Yeah..." Soma replied back. "How did it go?"

"Nothing much just two Kongous at the Forgotten Carrier." Lindow said, waving it off.

"Dude, you should've been there. We were so awesome!" Kota said while doing a fist pump. "We're totally invincible!"

"This coming from the guy who got his butt handed to him from the last Kongou mission." Soma mocked with a grin.

Sakuya patted Kota's back as he deflated. "Things went a lot smoother. Besides, last time those other Kongous were not accounted for."

'Besides, we rocked them.'

"'You' rocked them... somehow." Soma corrected.

"Yeah well she rocked them again." Lindow said patting Megumi's head. "Makes my job much easier."

"We'll if you don't mind me, I'm going to go freshen up." Sakuya said leaving the Hanger.

"I'm out too. A new episode of Burgurally is coming on, I don't wanna miss it." Kota said before running off.

"Well I best be heading out too. I have a beer to steal from Sakuya." Lindow joked around before he walked away.

Megumi was about to leave too when Soma grabbed her arm.

"Hey, do you know someone by the name of Axel?" Her eyes widened. "So you do know him."

She nodded and began to write.

'He's my brother. How do you know him?'

"I met him out in the City of Mercy. He gave me one hell of a fight as he tried to cut my head off."

'You met him? ... He must really like you if you still have your head. I'm so glad for that.'

"You don't seemed too concerned."

'That's just Axel's way of testing if you're worth his approval. I'm just grateful you're alright.'

"How many brothers do you have?!"

'Many more...'

"Well bring in as many as you want." Soma said, pulling her in closer for an embraced. "I'll take them all on if I have to."

'Why?'

"Because... you're worth it." Before she could respond back he stole a kiss. The kiss was innocent but still held passion as he pressed his lips down on hers. Finally breaking from her lips he pulled away. "Later."

And like that he was gone, stealing her breath away and her first kiss.


	13. Chapter 13

Sometimes the things you do that hurts yourself hurts the people you love more.

The Cries of a Brother

"You've returned Axel."

"Sorry it took me so long Xemnas."

"Jeez, we've been trying to get you to come back for days. If I had known you'd come back on your own I wouldn't have bothered."

"Give me a break Xigbar, I just wanted to see something."

"And what exactly did you see?" Asked a man with long blue hair with short hair that spiked at the top. But what was really noticeable, passed his serious expression, was the X-scare on his nose.

"I fought with Soma." Axel answered nonchalantly.

"What?!" Xigbar burst out laughing. "You went out to fight the kid's little boyfriend?!"

"Megumi has a boyfriend?" Asked a boy of 15 with bright blue eyes and spiky dirty blond hair with a face that always had a kind expression.

"Ah, Roxas. Welcome to the party." Axel said lightly.

"What's this about Megumi going out?" Roxas asked again.

"Haven't you heard? Megumi got herself a boyfriend." Xigbar filled in. "And a good one at that since Axel's not covered in blood."

"Did you kick his ass?" Demyx asked Axel with anticipation.

"For a little while, but the kid's got skill. He put up a good fight."

"Ha, do I detect the hint of approval in your voice Axel?" Asked a man with wildly spiked pink hair, standing beside the sitting Larxene. "Such a rare honor when its coming from you."

"You didn't damage the boy too much Axel?" Xemnas asked.

"Nah, nothing that won't take a day to heal." Axel said, waving it off.

"Is there a reason why the condition of the boy concerns you?" Pondered the man with blue hair.

"Because he makes Megumi happy." They were all silenced by this response. "And I will protect anything that brings her the slightest amount of happiness. She deserves that much."

"Aw, such a good big brother you are Xemnas." Larxene teased him. "You're just a big softie under that tough exterior. Be careful or you'll spoil her."

"I personally have nothing against the boy." Commented Zexion. "However, I sense something strange about Soma."

"I agree. When I was fighting him I saw something in his eyes." Axel added in. "Something that was similar to us."

"Do you think he's one of us?" Asked the man with blue hair.

"No." Axel immediately answered. "But he is something similar to us. Most likely the product of human tampering."

"Fascinating!" A gleeful man in his middle ages said. He had long blond hair and green eyes. His face was long and slightly worn down with age with the exception of his strong chin. "I'd like to see this conundrum for myself."

"Not by yourself you're not." Said a man with long black dreadlocks gathered in a ponytail. He had side burns and bangs that came to the side of his face. A set of two earrings graced each of his ears. The man was almost as bulky as Lexaeus and looked to be in his late 20s, like Lexaeus.

"What? Why not?" The blond pouted.

"Because you get carried away when you go into research mode." Said a man with short blond hair and a thin short boxed beard. He had as many earrings as the other man but he looked to be in his mid 30s. "Someone has to keep you on a leash Vexen."

"No respect! No respect at all!" The man called Vexen ranted, jumping up and down in complaint.

"C'mon Vex." Said Xigbar, as he went to hang on the shoulders of the two other guys. "This is like our only opportunity to see the guy that King picked. Besides... I want the chance to scare the crap out of the guy."

Now Xigbar was different from the others, more mischievous, but his heart was still in the right in the right place. He just wanted to make sure this guy, this 'Soma,' was going to treat his little sister right. Out of everyone else he looked the most dangerous. He wasn't as muscular as Lexeaus, or the man with dreadlocks, or even the man with the short boxed beard for that matter. But his outward appearance looked more menacing.

A man in his early 30s, Xigbar had a scar coming form his left cheek going all the way up to the edge of his one yellow eye. To say he had one eye would not be a lie since his right eye was covered with an eye-patch. He had slick black hair pushed back into a long thin ponytail. If pirates were still around in this day and age this man would be a scream.

"You would cause more trouble than Vexen ever would, Xigbar." Xemnas commented. "Xaldin, Luxord, keep an eye on them."

"Yes sir," said the man with dreadlocks, Xaldin, standing tall.

"Sir," answered the blond man called Luxord with a loose two finger salute.

"Oh, you wound me so, Xemnas." Xigbar teased, dramatically grabbing at his heart in fiend hurt.

"Hm, you'll live." Xemnas grinned. "Now go check up on our little princess. See if you can get her to stop this... food strike."

*** Back to the Den ***

**_"I'm starving."_**

**"You're consuming yourself from the insides child." **

_**"I'm so hungry."**_

**"You must eat before you parish."  
**

_**"We must eat. We must eat."**_

**"I won't stop you from this self destruction."  
**

_**"Why aren't we eating? I'm so hungry."**_

**"You can save yourself, if you want to."  
**

_**"Out, I want out."**_

**"Not going to speak to me."  
**

_**"Out, let me out!"**_

**"Very well, be silent... I'm bound to hear your voice eventually."  
**

_**"LET ME OUT!"**_

Megumi shot up in a cold sweat, grabbing her pushie panda she held it tight as her heart calmed. The dreams have been coming back, but stronger by ten folds. She couldn't keep this up. Father was right, the dreams were eating her. She was already restless and her hours of sleep were dwindling.

No... she was better than this. She would not submit to this... hunger. She'll prove to everyone that she was stronger than this. She'll prove to everyone that she was stronger than this. This way she'd no longer endanger her friends.

She needed to get up. Lindow had another date today, she had to go on a mission with the others.

*** At the Entrance ***

"(Whistle) This place is huge." Xigbar said giving the place a look around as he walked with the others with his hands in his pockets.

"Sight see later, Xigbar." Said Xaldin. "We have other things to take care of."

"Yes," agreed Luxord. "However, the decline in stares would be most appreciated."

He was right, as they walked God Eaters stared at them and moved away as they passed by. They could practically smell the fear off of them as they walked.

'Look at those thugs, they're huge.'

'I heard they are part of the yakuza and they're here cause someone owes them money.'

'Wow, they're really scary. We best keep our distance.'

"Ignore them gentlemen." Vexen said, drawing back to the situation at hand. "They're just children, with too much time on their hands and an active imagination."

"I don't know Doc," said Xigbar. "The yakuza doesn't sound like half a bad idea. I bet they'd be a fun group to hang around with."

"Focus Xigbar," said Luxord.

"Fine... let's go fine princess." Xigbar said deflatted.

Hibari was startled as they approached her desk. They scared her but she did her best to hide it under a professional mask.

"C-can I help you gentlemen."

"You sure can Sweetie." Xigbar said, leaning on the desk with his hand. "We're here to see our sis, Megumi Sato. She around?"

"W-well yes, she is." Hibari answered, feeling slightly easier since the seemed to know Megumi. "She's having breakfast with her unit in the Mesh Hall."

"Great! Can we see her?" Xigbar asked.

"O-of course." Hibari said, pointing toward the elevator. "Take the elevator to your right. The Mesh Hall is on the next floor down from us."

"Thank you ma'am." Xaldin nodded to Hibari. But the whispers got louder.

'Did you hear that? They're here for Misfortune.'

'I knew that girl was trouble.'

"What did you say you little dirt bags?!" Xigbar instantly turned around toward the whispers. His nostrils flared as his hands reached for the weapons at his side.

"Calm down Xigbar!" Xaldin said, grabbing Xigbar's shoulder. The gossiping God Eaters ran away scared.

"It would seem that our princess isn't so popular here." Luxord thought aloud as he rubbed his chin.

"I'm so sorry about that." Hibari bowed in apology at seeing how they reacted toward the gossip about Megumi. They must have been really close to her. "Rumors have been going on about Megumi bringing misfortune to anyone who teams up with her, it doesn't help that she codenamed herself that. The rumors have died down but it seems that some of them thrive."

That info didn't seem to comfort them but fueled the inferno in them more.

"What impudent children!" Vexen said in outrage. "Taking their fears and insecurities out on a third party that they fail to understand."

"The unknown awakens fear in the weak and that leads to hate and cruelty." Luxord pitched in. "Our little princess appears to have become the Weaks' scapegoat."

"A disgraceful behavior for ones that are suppose to be the soldiers of the people." Xaldin says in disgust as a retired soldier.

"Tell me Ms." Xigbar said addressing Hibari. "Do you believe these rumors?"

"I don't judge what I don't know." Hibari instantly answered without hesitation. "But what I do know is that thanks to her many God Eaters made it back home and the people were able to sleep safely in their homes. Whether people acknowledge it or not."

"Hmph, that's good enough for me." Xigbar says, stepping back. "As long as she's not completely isolated."

"Thank you for your time ma'am." Luxord said, giving her a gentleman's bow. "We'll escort ourselves to the Mesh Hall."

"Alright gentlemen, have a good visi-" Hibari would have let them just pass if she hadn't noticed the weapons on Xigbar. "Sir, I can't let you walk around the Den with those guns!"

"C'mon Sweetie I feel naked without them." Xigbar pleaded as his hand lightly touched one of his guns.

"I can assure you ma'am he will not draw them." Vexen said, pushing Xigbar as fast as he could toward the elevator while the others followed. "Thanks for understanding. My apologies for the inconvenience."

Before Hibari could respond respond the elevator doors were already closed.

"Next time Xigbar cover those things." Vexen hissed at him.

"These bad boys should never be concealed." Xigbar said playfully raising his hands like an eagle in flight. "They should be open and free."

"Enough with the theatrics you two. We're here." Xaldin said just as the elevator doors were about to open.

The hallway to the Mesh Hall was vacant. But once the doors open the room was filled with noise and activity.

Megumi wasn't hard to find. As a family they had a connection, each one of them would be able to pick up another member of the family in the area instantly. And so Megumi did sense them in the room as she perked up in her seat.

They found her sitting with what appeared to be her unit as a guy in orange, which most likely was the Kota they've been hearing about, chatting on.

The Mesh Hall came to a silent murmur as they entered the room. Ignoring the stairs they walked toward Megumi's table. Kota began to silence as he noticed their approach. Causing the others to look behind them in curiosity.

"Hi princess," Xigbar said with open arms. "Did yah miss me?"

Megumi smiled and got up to run into his arms for a big hug. Merrily putting her in a choke hold, Xigbar gave Megumi a nuggy.

"Good to see you Squirt."

Playing along, Megumi broke out of his hold as a silent laugh graced her face. Taking advantage of her reacquired freedom Xaldin patted her head while Vexen and Luxord patted her shoulders.

"I take it you're doing well." Luxord said slightly more gentle than usual.

"Have you been good? Not getting into trouble are you?"

"Of course she hasn't, this is Megumi we're talking about." Vexen answered in insult at the allegation. "She's a good girl."

"My God Megumi, are these your brothers too?!" Kota was being rhetorical at first, but when Megumi nodded yes he had to smack his head. "Jeez, your family is huge!"

"What's scary is that there are more of us." Xigbar said, laughing at Kota's shock. "Let's introduce ourselves: Xigbar, Vexen, Xaldin, Luxord." Xigbar just jumped in, pointing at each respected name.

"Don't tell me we'll have to keep introducing ourselves to your family." Soma said, looking to Megumi, slightly pleading.

"No need. We already know who you guys are." Vexen said then turned to get a good look at Soma. "So you must be Soma."

"The only one I know." Soma answered, crossing his arms.

"Oh, a tough guy."Xigbar said. "So tell me tough guy, what are your intentions with our little princess."

"Nothing that you should worry about."

"You know," Xigbar pulled out his pistol. Twirling it around intimidatingly, Soma kept his cool to the best of his ability while the others at the table broke into a sweat. "I don't know what I'd do if anything we're to happen to my little sister."

"Yes, she's a very special girl. But I ensure you she's in good hands."

"Tell me son, do you know what it's like to kill a man with your bare hands." He pushed back the chamber as if loading the firearm. "I do."

"Hmph, death seems to miss me by a hair. You could try to add me to your list, but your attempts will most likely be futile. I'm not going to run away from Megumi just because you're the man with the gun."

"Haha, you've got spunk kid!" Xigbar placed his gun back in its holster. " I like yah already."

"Good, that's one less guy I have to worry about trying to kick my ass." Soma grinned.

"You worry about taking us on?" Xaldin asked with a raised eyebrow.

"Only with having to fight unnecessary battles."

"A man that knows how to use his cards." Luxord said, rubbing his chin. "Well, you've won my approval young man."

"And someone who doesn't just fight to fight." Xaldin added in. "It gives me relief to know we're not leaving Megumi in reckless hands."

'Did you all just come here to judge my boyfriend?!'

"You don't have to be shy about showing me off." Soma teased her as he wrapped an arm around her shoulder. "I'd be happy to oblige."

'You're not helping Soma!' Her blush only made Soma grin wider.

"We're here for that and other things." Vexen said as he looked at Soma from left to right.

'And that would be?' But Vexen ignored her question as he took notice of Soma's eyes. His hand hovered over Soma's face.

"Amazing!" Vexen thought aloud. "This must be the product of Bias Factor overdoes. However, I fail to believe that P53 can cause such physical effects."

"That's because I'm different." Soma growled at him, smacking Vexen's hand away. Silently telling Vexen to back off as the choice of topic was making Soma uncomfortable. Soma may have imagined it but he thought he heard Vexen say, 'just like us.'

"You're getting carried away Doc." Xigbar said, flicking the side of Vexen's head.

"Yes of course." He said then turned to Soma. "Do forgive me, I tend to get carried away at times." Soma nodded in understanding.

"Well we have other business to take care of," Xigbar interrupted. "Megumi can we talk to you for a minute?"

Megumi was reluctant to comply. She knew where this was going, and she wasn't in the mood for it. But, she could never deny her brothers. Walking away from the others she moved to a less crowded area, where others couldn't listen but could talk among themselves as if they could.

"Zexion has taken care of your armlet problem, why haven't you been going out?" Xigbar asked, turning serious.

"..."

"Your Oracle Cells are highly unstable." Vexen concluded from the home-made detector he pulled out of his pocket to examine her body before putting it back. "The stress of it is destroying your body. You can't keep this up Megumi."

'I just... want to be normal.'

"We aren't normal Megumi," Xaldin sadly pointed out. "That is the burden we must bare."

'But I don't want to bare it anymore. I'm tired of being one of the monsters people fear at night. I'm tired of people getting hurt because of me.'

"That wasn't your fault," implored Vexen. "Your Oracle Cell count is higher than anyone else, it's beyond your control."

'No, I'm done. I'm not releasing anymore.'

"Are you mad?" Luxord said stunned at what he was hearing. "You'll kill yourself."

'If I have to suffer for everyone's safety then I'll gladly take the trade.'

"So you're willing to die for these God Eaters?" Xigbar retorted, his anger slowly rising.

'It's my curse I **choose** to bare.'

"You're destroying yourself for these fools who have nothing better to do than to spread rumors about you and coward in fear!" In a fit of rage Xigbar punched the wall, making it crack. "Damn you, Megumi!"

The rise in voices brought concern to the First unit. The tension raised in Soma when Xigbar grabbed Megumi's arm and attempted to drag her out.

"Megumi you have to stop this," Vexen pleaded with her. "Your body can't handle anymore. We can see it in your throat."

The tingling in a throat returned with fire as if to prove Vexen right.

"We're not going to sit here and watch you do this!" Xigbar said, trying to pull her out of the Mesh Hall, but she wasn't budging. Her resistance didn't even make her break a sweat as she lower her head in sadness. "You are not leaving us to clean up the mess!"

"That's enough!" Soma said, coming to rescue by pulling her away from Xigbar. She grabbed onto Soma's shirt in comfort as she looked toward her brothers in apology.

"For the love of God Megumi, don't do this to yourself!" Xigbar pleaded with her, but all was for not. Xigbar was going to grabbed her arm again when Xaldin and Luxord held him back.

"Enough Xigbar," Xaldin ordered in defeat. "Let's go."

"She made her choice." Luxord was sadden at the feeling of being powerless that was smothering him like a mountain.

"Besides, we couldn't stop her even if we wanted to." Vexen said crestfallen as he headed for the exit. "I beg you Megumi, reconsider before it's too late."

"It's over Xigbar, we did what we could." Luxord said as he and Xaldin dragged Xigbar out of the Mesh Hall as he struggled.

"Dammit, damn it, damn it. DAMN IT ALL!"

Megumi had her face in Soma's chest as the voice of Xigbar's anguish rang in her ear.

"What was that all about?" Megumi didn't answer Soma, the only response he was given was an extra squeeze on his shirt. Sighing in acceptance of not getting an answer today, he rubbed her head. "It's okay, you can tell me when you're ready."

'Did you see that, is Death god and Misfortune a couple?'

'I think they are.'

'It's not like anyone else could survive dating them.'

'Pity, Misfortune's pretty hot, it's such a waste.'

'To be honest, they make a cute couple.'

"Alright, enough with the scene Lovebirds." Lindow said, breaking them from their private bubble. "You guys got a mission to get to."

"What about you?" Soma asked Lindow, slightly moving away from Megumi without breaking from her.

"Me? We'll I have to meet up with the New Rookie coming to the Den." Lindow answered. "She'll be going through the training simulation today."

"We're getting a new member, awesome!" Kota cheered. "And it's a girl, bonus!"

"(Giggle) Well I guess it's just us then." Sakuya came in. "Megumi, are you going to be okay?"

Megumi nodded and smiled at how Sakuya worried about her over what happened before.

"Ah she'll be alright. She'll be together with Soma on the mission." Kota teased them as he made kissy sounds. "Oh Soma I'm scared. Hold me close."

"Shut up Dooffus!" Soma said punching the back of Kota's head.

"You've got a point, Megumi can't talk. She'll just write the message on your chest with her finger."

"Knock it off Kota!"

"Haha, enough with teasing the couple Kota. Save it for another time, we've got a mission to get to." Sakuya said coming to the rescue.

"Don't expect a thanks." Soma said.

"Don't bother, I only delayed the inevitable."

*** Infernal Subway ***

The place looked like a hell-hole. Lava flowed around the tracks like a lake. The tunnel walls melted to the point it looked like a giant worm made them. It was a sad sight seeing those subway trailers tossed around like a child's toy.

People once traveled on those busy railways. People were there when the Aragami attacked the Subways. Megumi could hear their wailing screams in the distance as the winds blew through the tunnels. But this made one wonder... where was the wind coming from?

"Alright everyone," Sakuya said gathering everyone's attention. "Our mission today is taking out a rampaging Chi-You."

"A Chi-You? What's that?" Kota asked.

"It's like a bird humanoid." Soma answered. "Seriously, do your homework for a change."

"It's very mobile and we'll he fighting in a narrow underpass. So make sure you secure your escape route." Sakuya continued on. "There have also been reports of Cocoon Maidens in the area, so you'd best be on your guard."

"Ah really, that sounds dangerous." Kota said, pushing Sakuya away from Megumi and Soma. "We should split into the groups and search for the enemy. C'mon Sakuya."

"Hey, wait!" Soma called out but it was too late. Kota and Sakuya were already gone. Leaving him, Megumi, and the wind.

"(Sigh) Fine, c'mon princess."

Together they traveled through the tunnels, never far apart from the other. The Subways were hot and they were looking like a sauna.

"What are you doing, Idiot?!" Soma exclaimed with a blush as she began to undress.

"?" Megumi looked at him strangely as she unzipped her hoodie to reveal her tank-top, and stopped there. Wondering what he thought she was doing.

"J-just... give someone a heads up before you do something like that." Soma said, turning away as his blush refused to fade.

They found themselves in a tunnel that lead to a circular opening. They found two Cocoon Maidens across from each other.

"Take'em down." Was all Soma said as he charged at the one to the right. Leaving Megumi to take care of the one on the right. They passed no challenge for the two.

"Well that was easy." Soma said wiping off the sweat on his brow from the heat. "Now where is that damn bird?"

Megumi tapped on his shoulder and pointed to the right toward the lake of lava. There it was, the Chi-You, walking on the lava with no care toward the walkway area of the Subway. The others could be seen taking out a Cocoon Maiden over there.

"This is bad. Move." Soma ordered as they ran toward the area the others were. There was no time to waste. The Chi-You was taking a short cut through the lava so they would have to book it on the tracks if they wanted to catch up with the others on time.

They were halfway there when they heard the roar of the Chi-You along with gunshots on the other side of the wall.

Kicking it double time they ran into the next room with the others.

"Glad you could make it!" Said Kota being sarcastic as he fired at the Chi-You.

"Nice to see that you're still alive." Soma shot back with a grin.

"Let's go!" Sakuya ordered, firing at the Chi-You's face.

Megumi and Soma slashed at it's legs, but it was doing very little damage. They began to grow tired of their constant strike, jump out of the way of its incoming fist, and hit again. Jumping away from said first one more time, Megumi went for an upward strike as she did so. The Chi-You cried out as her blade made contact with her blade.

Looking to Soma, the same idea went through their minds. Jumping into the air each of them struck their respected wing. The Chi-You's wing armor broke. With its arms damage the Aragami was more exposed.

The Chi-You fell to its knees due to the sheer force of impact. It saw that it was no match for these supposed light snacks. Using its speed to its advantage, it fled the scene. Unfortunately for the Aragami they had it on tracker.

"He's heading for Area K! Let's get the job done!" Sakuya shouted with the others following her lead.

Area K was another Subway railway. Once they left the docking area and headed up the rail tracks. They needed to take a left down a set of stairs which lead to another railway.

The Chi-You was eating some scrap material in attempts to lick its wounds like a beaten dog. Devouring material would help the regenerating process of Oracle Cells, but the team would not allow that.

Silent as a mute Megumi landed a hard slash on the Chi-You's back. The Aragami had spirit, she'd give it that, along with a strange sense of Kung-fu. But the game was already set and the Chi-You was in checkmate.

"Hmph, well that was easy." Soma commented as he devoured the Chi-You's core. "Hey princess, you want some?"

But Megumi wasn't listening, her breathing was getting heavy. Her body leaned on the wall as the hand on the other side gripped her throat.

"Megumi what's wrong?" Soma called out to her, but still no response as she moved along the wall toward the exit. "Hey!"

"Are you injured?! I-I didn't see you get hit!" Kota questioned as he began to panic about his teammate's sudden ailment. The others wanted to give her and hand but somehow they felt wrong doing that. As if doing so would make her seem weak. So at a comfortable distance they followed her from behind.

She made it to the point where the wall is destroyed and opens up to the lack of fire where in the far distance was a hole that Aragami used to enter the area. But suddenly her engine went out, she choked out before she went unconscious. She was falling onto the floor... no... there was so floor. She was falling into lava.

"Megumi!" Soma said rushing to catch her. Her pride be damned, her life was in danger. But he was too late... something else caught her.

He didn't even see it coming. It made no sound as it entered the area, running on the lava to Megumi's side. Was Soma so distracted that he didn't even sense it coming? How the hell did he miss this Aragami ran through his mind.

This Aragami was like Chi-You and yet something was different. It had the similar bird-humanoid form: with the human face surrounded by armor with feather characteristics, the arm wings with giant hands that could shot out fireballs, the legs with clawed feet that were built for speed, and even the human arms crossed over its chest. But this one... was stronger. Soma could sense it.

It didn't have that dark blue armor with purple under skin. This one had harder armor marble white and dark under skin. Its eyes glowed real, but strangely from the back of its head came spiky dirty blood hair.

Looking pass its human arms one could see a number on its chest. Which from what Soma could see was the number... **14**.

The Aragami came at Megumi as she fell. Catching her with its human arms, which has never been seen used before in the Chi-You species, it twirled away from the lava. Covering her with its wing arms as it kneeled to the floor.

Once it felt safe enough it opened its wings to expose her. As it looked down at her, Soma felt a decrease in the Aragami's hostility. The others didn't know how to respond to this. They've never encountered let alone thought of the possibilities of a non-hostile Aragami.

They feared the Aragami could turn on them in a second and rip Megumi's head off. The situation was at a stand still, do they leave Megumi in the hands of an Aragami or do they possibly risk her life by attacking it. But it was strange, the Aragami was so careful with her. Handling with care.

It would appear the Aragami had made the decision for them as it lifted Megumi up to carry her with its human arms.

"Let her go, Monster!" Soma growled at the Aragami. The Aragami held Megumi closer to it, sneering at Soma, showing Soma its pearly whites. Getting back on its feet, it stepped back.

"Don't you dare." Soma's voice darkened as he saw what the Aragami was trying to do. Ignoring the threatening tone in Soma's voice it took another step, grinding its teeth as it quietly growled. "Don't you dare!"

But it made its move. Taking one final step onto the lava it turned and ran.

"Damn you!" Soma growled out as he charged after the Aragami. Jumping on Subway trailers as he made his way to the cut of area the Aragami ran off. His eyes were glowing, he was livid. "Bastard! Give her back!"

The Aragami turned its head noticing Soma on its tail. In an attempt to throw him off it threw random scrap metal at him with its wing hands as it ran. But Soma used his speed to temporarily defy gravity as he ran on the walls to dodge the debris.

Using one of the smaller railway bars that was flung at him he jumped off the wall and kicked it at the Aragami's legs. Taking advantage of the Aragami's moment of vulnerability as it caught itself before it tripped, Soma punched it in the face.

The punch knocked the Argami 30 feet away into, destroying loose railway along the way, making it crash into the wall. Letting go of Megumi from shock Soma grabbed her before the Aragami was knocked back.

Wiping its mouth with it wing hand, the Aragami got back on its feet as it looked at Soma in detest. Pulling Megumi closer to him with one hand he held his God Arc with the other. The Aragami growled at him, getting in a stance to pounce.

"Back off!" Soma growled as he strengthened his stance. "She's mine!"

The beast was ready to charge when a roar from far off rang out through the railway. The Aragami looked toward the direction of the roar then back at Soma. It was hesitating, what was holding it back. Eventually making a reluctant choice, it closed its eyes in acceptance and took a deep breath. Opening its eyes again it growled at Soma, giving him one final screech before it ran off toward the roar. Soma was shocked by its sudden back down, almost as if it was being called back.

For what ever reason it wanted Megumi, enough to keep her alive. What disturbed Soma was the fact that Megumi made no attempt to struggle. He knew she woke up the moment it lifted her up, he could hear she was by her breathing pattern. So why didn't she fight back?

He was surprised out of his thoughts as he felt a vibration on his side. Looking down toward it he saw that it was Megumi. She began to shock uncontrollably by his side as he twitched.

"Megumi? What's wrong?!" He slid to the floor along with her. She began to choke out with her twitching as if something clogged her throat. "Hey, come on! Don't you give up on me!"

She shook in his arms as he gently picked her up to carry her princess-style.

"My baggage..." He didn't say it mockingly like he usual did, it turned into more of an endearment. "I'm getting you out of here." He didn't even run back all the way to the others. He found the first opening to the surface and took it. Soma steadied Megumi on his shoulder, holding onto his God Arc as he climbed up the ladder to the surface.

Soma had to give Megumi her credit, she held onto her God Arc the whole way. Once they reached the surface he put Megumi back in a more comfortable position in his arms as he used his communicator.

"Soma here, what's the group status."

"Soma? Oh thank God, are you okay? Did you get Megumi?" Sakuya asked with slight relief that Soma finally contacted them.

"I'm fine, I got her." Soma answered. "But... somethings wrong with Megumi. She's spazzing out, she needs a medic."

"Okay, we're locked on to your signal," Sakuya responded. "We're heading to your location with the Chopper."

Her shaking failed to decrease with time, her eyes began to tear up. Soma could see how scared she was as she let out choked out whimpers. Soma held her closer, resting her head between his neck. Embracing her in the best in ability to comfort her.

"You're going to be okay," Soma said, rubbing her head. "I got you, princess."

The wind lowered their hoods and played with their hair as the Chopper came to them from the horizon. The Chopper lowered to them with Kota greeting them from its open doors.

"Soma, you guys okay?!" Soma called out to them as Soma ran into the Chopper. "C'mon, take off! We've got a man down!"

"What happened Soma?" Sakuya asked, examining Megumi as the Chopper went into the air.

"I don't know, she just started spazzing." Soma said in frustration, trying with all his might to hide his panic. "But... something feels wrong."

"Dude, we got to get her to the Sick Bay as soon as we get back." Kota said panicking.

"Tell me something I don't know!" Soma said, refusing to let her go.

Once they reach the Den they all ran out to head to the Sick Bay, dropping off their God Arcs with Licca in a hasty clutter. Feeling her God Arc was in a safe place Megumi let go of it. Leaving the mess for Licca to handle the ran to the elevator. The elevator to the Hanger only went to the Entrance Floor which left them to take the elevator on the right to get to the Sick Bay.

But as soon as they got to the Entrance they were stopped by Tsubaki followed by Lindow and a 15 year old girl who appeared to be wearing a red school uniform with a black top that was three sizes too small. Her legs were covered by stockings and long boots. Her eyes were an expressive blue and yet so stone cold. Her hair was platinum and reached a little pass her shoulder as her head was covered by a matching red hat.

"Hm, about time you all showed up I have an annouc-"

"Brief us later, Tsubaki." Soma pushed pass Tsubaki and the guest to the other elevator. "I need to get Megumi to the Sick Bay."

"Soma this is an important briefing. And I appreciate 5 minutes of your attention. Can you spare that much out of your busy life."

"Dammit, can't you see that she needs a doctor!" Soma shouted for the first time as he slightly nodded his head toward Megumi. Finally getting Tsubaki to look down and see how terrible Megumi looked.

"What happened Soma?" Lindow asked in concern.

"I don't know man!"

"Soma, calm down." Sakuya ordered. "We'll stay here for the briefing. You get Megumi to a medic, stat."

Not needing to be told twice Soma was out of there. Leaving the others with Tsubaki and their new quest.

"Disregarding the previous interruption I have an introduction to make." Tsubaki said, gathering everyone's attention again. "This is a New-Type Recruit. She will be joining your ranks today."

"Nice to meet you." The new recruit greeted. "My name is Alisa Ilinichina Amiella. As of 1200 hours I have been transferred to here from the Russia Branch. I look forward to working with you."

"Hey, girls are always welcomed here." Don't get Kota wrong was worried about his teammate. But he new how to appreciate a pretty girl when he see's one.

"I'm amazed that you survived this long with that frivolous attitude of yours." Sakuya clicked her tongue at the girl's insult, Kota ran sometimes go a little overboard but he doesn't deserve to be insulted like that. The young lady was not showing any good signs of a team player.

"She doesn't have actual combat experience but her score in the simulation were stellar." Tsubaki lectured on.

"Did she out score Megumi?" Kota asked with a raised hand.

"No, however she didn't have the advantage of having higher upgrades than a normal Rookie. So you better keep up or she'll soon surpass you."

"Y-yes ma'am."

"That's all for today everyone. Alisa, you'll meet the other two another time. I'll be leaving you in Lindow's care. Understood?"

"Yes ma'am."

"Lindow come with me. I have some paperwork for you."

As the Amamiya siblings left the floor Kota tried to get friendly with the new Rookie as he tried starting idle conversation.

"So you're from Russia. Isn't it freezing there?" He asked noticing her state, or lack of, clothing. "I guess with global warming these days, the temperature's getting higher..."

But while all this was smoothly coming along panic was reeking havoc in the Sick Bay.

Soma kicked the doors open, carrying a sickly Megumi as he stormed in.

"Medic! I need a Medic!" Nurses and Doctors ran to them.

"What's the cause of her situation?"

"I don't know, she just started to get sick!" Soma answer, agitated that he has that he has to keep answering the same questions. "You're the Doctors, you tell me!"

"Hmm, we'll have to examine to get further analysis." Said one of the Doctors. "Please hand her over."

She must have been displeased with that notion because she began to struggle in Soma's arms. She refused to leave Soma for the cold hands of men in lab coats.

"She's showing signs of resistance. Nurse get the sedative." Her grip on Soma grew stronger at the words of the Doctor. Soma was beginning to think that perhaps bringing her here wasn't a good idea as his grip subconsciously tightened.

"That won't be necessary gentlemen." Came the care free voice from the door.

"Dr. Sakaki," the Doctors said star struck. "W-what a surprise to see you outside of your Lab."

"News spread fast around the Den, I heard all very first New-Type came back to the Den looking like hell." Sakaki answered in a happy go lucky voice that suddenly turned serious. "Every symptom dealing with the New-Type is under my direct supervision."

"B-but sir."

"That will be all gentlemen. I'll handle this, return to your duties." Sakaki ordered as they reluctantly left the patient. "Soma I'm going to have to ask you to hand her over to my care."

Soma was very reluctant at this since Megumi was still resisting the contact of Doctors. Seeing this, Dr. Sakaki decided to ease Megumi to make them both more compliant.

"Don't worry Megumi, you'll be in good hands." He said, tapping her shoulder as he leaned down to whisper in her ear. "I'll keep it a secret."

Her grip on Soma loosened at his words. He's kept quiet for this long he's not likely going to rat her out now, he was far too deep in this anyway. Taking her from Soma he placed her on one of the Sickbeds.

"You can go now Soma. I can take it from here."

"I'm not leaving her side."

"That's really not necessary."

"I'm not going."

"Soma-" Dr. Sakaki stopped as a tug on his sleeve pulled his attention. Looking down he saw Megumi nodding to sanction Soma's presence. "(Sigh) Alright, fine."

Immediately he began to work. Attaching machines to her vitals as he scanned her body. He did not like what he saw.

"Her Oracle Cell count is off the chart. This is unbelievable!" Sakaki said as he came to an analysis. "Most of it seems to be concentrating at her throat."

"What do you mean?! Shouldn't her armlet be keeping them under control?!" Soma said as he truly began to panic.

"It's over the capacity of the armlet." Sakaki said reaching for the medical cart to grab some empty needles. "We'll have to eject them from her body."

"Will it hurt her Doc?"

"I'm not going to lie Soma, yes, it will hurt like a beast." Dr. Sakaki answered. "If you want to hold her hands, hold them. Anything that can ease the pain, even a little, she's going to need it."

Going to her side, Soma grabbed her hand readying her as Dr. Sakaki put the needle to her neck.

"Do you have to do it there Doc?!" Soma growled at Dr. Sakaki at the idea that he would purposely hurt her.

"We have to eject it from the source. Now hold still Megumi." He inserted the needle into her neck as he began to pump the concentrated Oracle cells out of her body. The concentrated liquid of Oracle Cells glowed a neon yellow. She had too much of an overload the Doctor would have to use more than one needle. She squeezed Soma's hand hard as thrashed her legs around, biting her lower lip as her upper body remained unmoving. "Please bare with us Megumi. It's the only procedure we could do."

Her eyes began to water as she fought back the pain. The last needle was ejected from her neck, the burning sensation in her throat had simmered out. She breathed heavily in relief, sweat covered her body. With the ordeal over she loosened her grip on Soma's hand, but Soma didn't let go.

"That should do the trick. Rest for the day, you should be good as new by tomorrow." Dr. Sakaki said, packing up the ejected Oracle Cells extracted from Megumi's body. "You can escort her back to her room anytime you like Soma. I'll be taking these Oracle Cells for research."

Megumi looked at Dr. Sakaki tiredly with concern and distrust.

"Don't worry. I'll keep it safe." Was all Dr. Sakaki said before returning to his Lab. Leaving a confused Soma and a distressed Megumi. Could he really keep it a secret? ... Not for long. Couldn't he keep it safe? ... Most likely not.


	14. Chapter 14

The closer you come to light, the greater your shadow becomes. But don't be afraid. You hold the mightiest weapon of all.

- Kingdom Hearts

Consuming Shadow

**_"Why do you deny us?"_**

"..."

**_"What makes you so great that you cast me to the shadows."_**

"..."

_**"It will not be denied, I will take what we desire!"**_

"..."

**"You can't even hear me anymore can you child?"**

**_"Resist all you want, you're efforts are futile."_**

"..."

_**"You may be the Queen, I'm sorry 'King,' but the servant can over throw the King."**_

"!"

**_"It is the right of the strong to devour the weak, overpowering other strong ones in a consuming hunger for power. Nature as molded it so. But strong like yourself can be weakened, broken down so that the leeches like me can become the strong by devouring ones like you._**

**"You..."**

_**"And you're making it too easy for me King, it won't be long until you break."**_

**"... cannot deny..."**

_**"Then there will be nothing holding me back! I'll devour whatever I want!"**_

**"... what you have become..."**

_**"I'll eat when I want and how I want it!"**_

**"... what you..."**

_**"I'll devour the world. We'll make it rain blood!"**_

**"...are."**

Megumi's eyes shot open, the fire was already starting to return. It was a good thing she did become a Gods Eater because as much as she hated to admit it... she'll be needing their services. She was... **_so hungry_**. Well, the least she could do was solve that problem.

Getting ready for the day, all dressed and freshened up, she left her room. Outside her door was Soma, leaning on the wall as he waited for her.

"How are you feeling today?" She smiled at him and wrote a response.

'Better, thanks to you.'

Soma pushed himself off the wall and approached her. Gently touching her cheek he examined her, getting his own diagnosis. He check her neck to see that her needle wounds have healed over night. Coming to his own conclusion that she was indeed better than yesterday he relaxed.

"Don't ever scare me like that again." His tone became more serious. "Got it?" She cupped his hand on her cheek in affection.

'I'll try but... with our line of work I can't make any promises Soma.'

"That's all I can ask for." Removing his hand from her cheek, he put it in his pocket. "C'mon, we've got a New Rookie to meet at breakfast."

Making their way to the Mesh Hall they gathered their breakfast. Trying their best not to hear the other gossiping God Eaters.

'Did you hear? The Death god carried in his injured princess of Misfortune from the battle the other day.'

'Yeah, he was totally like a knight in shinning armor.'

'KYAAH! That is so romantic. I'm totally jealous of Misfortune, why do all the weird girls get the dreamy boys?!'

Fangirls... one shivers at the mere mention of the name. They only start liking a boy once someone else takes them, thus is the Otaku law.

Cursing their excellent hearing, they quickly made their way to their table. Looking at their table, Soma noticed that the new girl had taken his seat. Gritting his teeth he went over to sir beside Kota, at least he'd be able to sit across from Megumi.

"Glad you two love birds could make it." Lindow teased at them. "I believe introductions are in order. Guys this is our newest member, Alisa, she's a New-Type. Alisa, these are-"

"I know who they are. I've read up on them on NORN." Alisa said before Lindow could finish.

"Is that right?" Ignoring Lindow she continued on.

"You're Soma, the Buster Blader of the First unit. Your bio remains under lock; however, your skills on the mission records are most commendable. I wish I could say the same about the people you teamed up with, perhaps they would've survived."

"Don't go there, little girl." Soma said darkly, but a gentle hand grabbing his from under the table calmed him down. Disregarding his warning she continued on.

"Your skill and experience may be off the chart, but times have changed. Old-Types are now defective, you best not get in my way."

"Hmph, you seem cocky for someone who hasn't seen actual combat. You best be able to back it up." Soma said with a mocking grin.

"I intend to. And as for you." She said turning to Megumi with a pointing finger. "You're Megumi Sato, the daughter of two first wave God Eaters, a.k.a. Misfortune. Using your parents past storage accounts to upgrade your God Arc to a level on par with the most experienced God Eaters, Commanding Officer level if I am to believe so.

"Your a New-Type just like me and you're known to get the job done quick and swift, even at the worst of odds. However, you're reckless. You take actions that endangers yourself and troubles you're team. If you can't control your hero complex I suggest you stay out of the battlefield."

'I find that my recklessness gets the job done. Not to mention secures the lives of my team and the citizens.'

"Hmph, I highly doubt that. Most likely you got lucky due to your reliance on your parents' accomplishments. You failed to raise to the top on your own. And stop writing on notepads, I want to hear it from your mouth."

"She can't, she's mute." Soma said, his temper returning.

"Really? That's inconvenient. How can they allow you on the battlefield with such a hazardous handicap?" All of their jaws dropped open in shock at her blatant words. Except Soma, his eyes just started to glow.

'It's no handicap, I get the job done.'

"Really? Is it you or your God Arc, I fail to see the difference. Not all of us can rely on our mommy's and daddy's for support. So you have no right to brag. If you want praise go home to your mother."

"Hey!" Soma was too late, Alisa had no idea what she just said.

Pushing her plate away from herself, Megumi got up. Her face looked like it was about to crack. Writing one last thing she put it on the table and left.

'Thank you Alisa, I've lost my appetite.'

"What's up with her? You'd think she'd be able to take some criticism. The battlefield is no place for the weak of mind."

"Shut up..." Soma said, growling as his hair covered his glowing eyes. "You have no idea what you're talking about."

Getting from the table he ran to where Megumi had left to comfort her.

"Alisa..." Lindow said seriously, finally stepping in-but a little let- the damage had already been done. "Her mother's dead. She died on a surprise Aragami attack on her home."

"W-what?" Alisa stuttered, grabbing her head. The guilt and pain was beginning to set in, her shell was cracking. "I-I'm sorry I had no idea."

"You have to be careful with what you say Alisa." Lindow lectured her. "Otherwise, you'll hurt the people around you... along with yourself."

"..."

"Eat up, we got a mission this morning. Megumi will be joining us so it would be a good time to make things up with her."

*** City of Mercy ***

"Ah... I'll be working with two New-Types today." Lindow said, starting a conversation to ease the tension. "I'll try to not to get in your way so don't mind me."

'Easy Lindow, you're starting to sound like an old man.' Megumi joked.

"Really, well that's not good. I'll began to start talking about 'the good old days' and 'how garlic is good for you' before long." Lindow laughed at the idea of himself acting like that with a beard.

"If you ask me Old-Types should stick with what Old-Types are capable of doing." And like that Alisa brought back the ice.

"Haha," Lindow laughed awkwardly. "Well, I'll try to live up to your expectations."

He went to tap her shoulder but she jumped back from his hand, screaming.

Lindow and Megumi were shocked by her extreme reaction to contact.

"Whoa," Lindow was really hurt by her actions. "I can see you really can't stand me."

"N-no, I-I'm sorry, it's nothing. I'm fine." Hard to believe when she looked like she was having a massive headache.

But good old Lindow just laughed it off as always he knew how to melt the ice. "Mmm... let's see... Listen up, Alisa. When things get chaotic look up at the sky. See if you can find a cloud that looks like an animal. Until then stay here, that's an order. Afterwards, when you do find one then join over there, got it?"

"B-but why should I do such a thing?"

"Just look for a cloud." This just wasn't Lindow's day. "Alright we're going on ahead."

They jumped off into the city as Alisa stayed behind looking through the clouds. Once they were out of hearing range Lindow began to talk.

"Hey... you doing alright Megumi? I'm sorry about this morning. I should've stepped in earlier." Kneeling down Megumi wrote into the dirt.

'I'm fine now. It wasn't you're fault Lindow, there's only so much a person can do. But boy, does Alisa know how to speak her mind.'

"I know, right? There's something about that kid. She's carrying a lot of baggage. Still, in this day in age, who isn't?"

'Indeed...'

"Is something of your mind?"

'... Lindow... do you think, I'm relying on my parent's power?'

"It wasn't your parents that save my ass a number of times, it was you."

'... Thank you.'

"Listen, since you're a New-Type like her... try to look out for her alright." He bent down to grabbed my shoulder, unannounced to himself he let out a breath of relief when she didn't flinch away. "Please Megumi, she could really use a friend."

'I'm not like the others... I don't know her, so I will not judge from what I don't understand. I won't shun her for her words, I'll give her a chance. Perhaps she's not that bad.'

"Glad to read that." Getting back on their feet they heard the footsteps of Alisa coming their way.

A shriek came from above as a Chi-You landed close to them. Alisa relied more on fire power as she blasted the Aragami's face. Megumi and Lindow went to strike at its wings. One of Alisa's shots came too close to Megumi.

"Watch it!" Lindow warned Alisa. "Megumi is sensitive to God Arc bullets! They can actually hurt her!"

"My bad, good to know." Alisa said as her shots moved slightly away from Megumi.

Taking out its wing armor the Chi-You fell to its feet where like an executioner Megumi cut off its head. The group went in to harvest its core.

"There's another Chi-You in the area." Lindow informed. "We'll split up and look for the enemy. You girls check the alleyway of the church, I'll check the left side. Got that?"

"Understood." Megumi just nodded before she followed Alisa down their directed area.

They walked the alleyway in silence for a while until Alisa began to speak.

"Listen... I want to apologize about what I said during breakfast." Her eyes looked to the floor, unable to make eye contact with Megumi. "I had no idea about your family situation and jumped to conclusions. Forgive me."

Finally building up the courage to look at her Alisa looked up. Megumi greeted her eyes with a lovely smile.

"What are you smiling about?" Megumi's smile just grew bigger as Alisa began to blush. "I simply wished to correct my mistakes. I know when I'm wrong."

Finally reaching the end of the alley they turned the corner. Alisa was just about to search inside the church when Megumi clapped for her attention. Megumi had picked up that Lindow had found the Chi-You on his side of the wall. Megumi had to put up her shield as it suddenly smacked down on the earth.

Engaging the Aragami with Lindow they began striking at its wings. Making the armor break faster, along with making it fall. Taking advantage while it was down, Alisa went in for a bite. Gaining a burst, she went all out with her bullets while Megumi and Lindow were striking for the kill. The Chi-You was out for the count, the prize was there's.

"Good job girls. You took'em down in record time." Lindow praised.

"That was an easy victory." Commented Alisa, turning to both Lindow and Megumi. "You're not as bad as I thought you would be."

"Ha, glad to met up to your approval." Lindow said, happy to see Alisa warming up. "The mission's not done until we get home. So let's book it."

*** Back at the Den ***

Coming back to the Entrance they were greeted by their unit.

"Hey, how was your mission?" Kota asked.

"Mission cleared, right?" Alisa said looking to Lindow.

"Haha, yeah mission cleared." Lindow said, waving it off. "They made a pretty good team. Add Sakuya to the mix and they'd be 'First Unit Angels.'"

"... That sound retarded Lindow."

"Ease up on the critics Soma. I'm working with what I got."

"How about 'Totally Spies.'" Kota suggested with enthusiasm.

"..."

"How repulsive," said Alisa in disgust.

"I take it back, I like Lindow's better."

"Oh yeah! Well, you come up with a better name Soma!" Exclaimed Kota.

"Why would I do that?"

"Haha, you're afraid to expose your lack of style."

"No, because it's stupid."

'How about 'Valkyries of the Den'?'

"... That's... actually not that bad."

"Normally I would blame Soma's judgement on favoritism to his sweetheart, but he's right. That does sound pretty good."

"Watch it, Kota," Soma growled at him, which Kota responded back with the raspberries.

"If it's alright with you guys I'd prefer to stick with my own name, thank you very much."

"I agree." Alisa seconded with Sakuya.

"Ah, you girls are party poopers." Kota said in disappointment. "Well enough of that, let's get some lunch. I'm starving!"

Sounding like a good idea they all headed to the elevator.

"Megumi?" Megumi stopped in her place at the sound of that gentle voice. Slowly she turned to a boy with vibrant blue eyes that rivaled the sky's. And wild spiky dirty blond hair. His face was gentle just like his voice. He wore a white short sleeve jacket with checkered outlining. Under that was a black shirt along with baggy cowboy style white and black shorts held up by a gray belt with regular black tennis shoes with white bottoms. The boy was cute, he had all the other female God Eaters in the room screaming. "It is you Megumi!"

He smiled and laughed as she ran into his arms. Picking her up in a hug he twirled her around. The other girls in the room began to protest in jealousy and Soma started to steam.

"Uh oh, love triangle! You better watch out Soma, someone's trying to steal your girlfriend." Kota would've teased him some more if a chill didn't take over him as he looked at Soma's eyes turning red.

"Boyfriend?" The boy said in confusion. Seeing Soma's anger he waved his hand in deniance after he put Megumi down. "No, no you got it all wrong."

Coming closer to the group he smiled and put his hand out in a truce. "Nice to meet you. I'm Roxas, Megumi's younger brother."

"Younger?" Soma found that hard to believe from looking at Roxas's age.

"She's actually 2 years older than me." Still holding his hand out he waited for Soma's accepting hand.

"Last I checked you guy's aren't related by blood..." Soma pointed out getting defensive. "And last I checked two of your siblings actually got married. How do I know you don't have an interest in her..."

"But..." Roxas began to blush. "I really only see Megumi as my older sister. And besides... I already have a girlfriend."

Once seeing that Roxas was no threat, putting behind all the mix up, Soma gladly shook his hand.

"Sorry about all the trouble. But jeez, you're family is big." Soma grinned at him.

"You don't know the half of it. There's like 20 of us."

"What?!"

"Haha, just kidding. We're not that bad."

"But he's not far off we are pretty big." Said a voice that sounded so familiar to Soma. Coming up the stairs was a man with crimson fire hair as girls screamed about how hot he was. Soma knew him instantly.

"You! Axel?!"

"You remembered me!" Axel grinned at Soma. "I'm so FLATTERED!"

Roxas got in between the two before things could go down while Megumi grabbed Soma's arm.

"Easy fellas. We don't want to start anything here." Roxas said in attempt to be the peace keeper.

"You know this guy?" Kota asked as they all looked questionably at Soma.

"We had a little brawl in the City of Mercy."

"And what fun that was." Axel grinned causing girls to swoon over his voice. "It's almost a pity that I held back."

"Funny so did I."

"Oh, a guy with surprises. How I do enjoy a good twist in life."

"Enough with the flirting gentlemen." Came another voice, with a deeper tone from the bottom of stairs. "One might think you're trying to steal Megumi's boyfriend, Axel."

"Don't flatter yourself Marluxia. I only shoot for the ladies." The screams grew louder and one of the girls even fainted.

"Ahh, the fairer sex. How does one not resist the chase?"

"And who the heck are you?" Soma asked before coming to his own conclusion. "Please don't tell me..."

The man grinned as he bowed to them as a British gentlemen would. "A pleasure to finally meet you all. I am Marluxia, one of Megumi's many older brothers."

This man was very different from the other family members they had met. His eyes were a darker blue and had long pink hair that spiked out at the ends as it fell to his shoulder. He was handsome in a pretty boy way but still had that bad boy streak like Axel. Or so they heard from the new fangirls.

'Oh my gosh, they're so hot!'

'Oh, but I can't decide which one I like most.'

'The younger one is sooo cute, but the other ones are hot!'

'They both have a bad boy look about them, which is dreamy. But the red one has a more wild side while the pink one has a sophisticated side.'

'Are you kidding, wild's hot!'

'Ah who am I kidding, I like them all!'

Then the screams and squeals began to rise.

"Aw, music to my ears." Axel said, placing a hand by his ear to enhance the sound in a joking manner before putting his arms around his brothers' shoulder. "Pity you guys can't enjoy them with me. (Breathing in) Ahhh, the joys of a bachelors life."

"Honestly... I don't miss this part at all." Roxas admitted, blushing at the memories of running from screaming fangirls.

"Ah Axel, how I do love seeing the flowers of the world bloom into lovely blossoms. You fail to understand the delicate process and joys of helping these buds reach their full potential. Tenderly molding their branches to take shape and trimming away the flaws."

"Dude, are you talking about your roses or girls?" Axel asked with a raised eyebrow. Sometimes his brother had some... quirks.

"Every girl in the world is a rose which with tender care will bloom beautifully for all to see." Marluxia answer while flipping his hair back. The fangirls in the back screamed louder. But alas I can no longer tend to all of them anymore for my very own personal rose is blooming only for me. How could I not give her all my attention. Someone else shall look after all the other roses now, but not I."

"Jeez, you're just as obsessed with flowers as much as Megumi." At the mention of her name Axel turned to Megumi and smiled. Breaking away from Marluxia and Roxas he opened his arms to her. "Now that I think about it, I didn't get a hug."

Megumi was warmed by the familiar antics of her brothers, she had missed his charm so much. However, she didn't miss his fangirls. But she would tolerate them just to be able to see him. Running into his arms she gave him a big hug. Axel laughed and patted her head.

"Haha, that's my girl."

"You're looking well, little princess." Marluxia greeted her. "I have a present for you. I thought you might be a little homesick."

Reaching behind himself Marluxia pulled out a vibrant white lily. The flower was such a simple little thing and yet still beautiful. It gave off a sight perfume that reminded Megumi of home.

Looking closer at the flower she realized that this one was from her garden. Startled at the possibilities when dealing with Marluxia, she look to him in question and horror.

"Fear not princess, I only picked one." She relaxed at his answer, knowing that her garden didn't suffer another massacre. Taking the flower from Marluxia she gave it a sniff and a delicate touch. She appreciated the gift that much Marluxia could see. The girls in the background pouted in jealously.

"Whoa, you guys have barely been here an hour and you already got the girls fawning over you." Kota said in admiration. "How does it feel to have your own fangirls?"

"Not that fun." "Charming." "A blast!" Roxas, Marluxia, and Axel answered him at the same time.

"Not even trying and you still get the girls." Kota praised on. "You guys are inspiration to guys everywhere, right Soma?"

"Don't lump me up with your love fest." Soma growled at him.

"Careful Kota, we're dealing with a chained man over here." Lindow teased. "Better watch out, his leash is a loose fit."

"Shut the hell up!"

"And what a fine flower to chain yourself to young man." Marluxia said addressing Soma. "You best not crush her petals or I'll cut you like a weed."

'As charming as it is to see my brothers threaten my boyfriend for my sake. I find the ordeal mondaine. Perhaps there is more to this visit?'

"You know there is." Axel jumped in. "Megumi... this needs to stop."

"Darkness will consume you like it threatens to consume is all." Marluxia said losing the romanticism and turning to a more realism tone. "You have to appease it or else the madness will take you."

"The Megumi I know will be long gone." Axel said somberly. "I don't want to get stock with the icky job, don't make me clean up this mess."

"..."

"Please Megumi, for all our sakes... don't do this to yourself." Roxas said as he subconsciously rubbed his cheek. "You've already gave us a scare, we can't bare another one."

'I'm sorry guys. But... I'm not quitting.'

"So you've made your choice." Axel said as the guys lowered their heads in sad acceptance. But defeated would not sit well with Axel. "But know this, I never abandoned family or ever will. Got it memorized?"

"..."

"We can't force you to stop. But we can and will keep an eye out for you sis." Roxas added in.

"You best not wilt on us little princess." Marluxia said as the guys went to leave. "For when you fall so do us all."

"See you around guys." Axel said, waving them off. The girls whimpered and moped at seeing them go. Something told Megumi that she was going to be receiving a lot of notes under her door this afternoon.

"I must say your family is a bit... eccentric." Alisa commented to Megumi, receiving a nod of agreement from Megumi.

"But... what was he talking about you needing to stop?" Kota asked.

"..."

"Megumi?"

'Don't worry about it. It's a family matter.' Soma pondered her pause, but would address her later.

"We best get something in our system." Lindow said more toward Alisa, Kota, and Megumi. "We've got a mission this afternoon to get to. So we best build up our strength."


	15. Chapter 15

Memories are like the load you carry on a journey. If you carry too much it holds you back, but if you travel too light you miss many of the good thing the journey offers.

- Final Fantasy Crystal Chronicles

Beyond the Hidden

*** Twilight, The Forgotten Carrier ***

The sun was setting, an orange hue glaze over the sky, all was peaceful. With the exception of a shrieking Chi-You as it battle four God Eaters.

Rain of two sets of shots fired at the Chi-You face, destroying the armor. Two blades swiped its sides going for the wings.

Seeing that this was a losing battle the Aragami fled to lick its wounds. Before it passed Alisa she went in for a bite.

"Got'em!" She said as her God Arc landed a successful Devouring sequences. Just like it was explained during Megumi's training she saw Alisa experience a power burst. A normal standard when Devouring a live Aragami. But what wasn't a standard situation in battle was when Alisa changed into gun-form and fire concentrated Aragami bullets so she could share the burst.

Aiming at Megumi she fired. "Don't screw this up, okay?!" But Megumi rolled out the way of the bullet, making the automatic body heat lock on to Kota.

"Wow! What is this sense of power flowing through my body? This is amazing!" Kota said as he experience his first burst... no, the name isn't quiet accurate... it was his first Link Burst.

"Leave it to me!" Kota fired at the Chi-You with more vigor.

But Alisa was confused by Megumi's blatant avoidance of a Link Burst. Why would she not accept an energy burst that would speed up the mission and increase her chances of survival? Firing at Megumi, she tried again.

"Here!" But Megumi jumped backwards making the shot hit Lindow, beside her.

"Alright! Leave it to me." Lindow said in thanks before charging at the Chi-You. Getting frustrated Alisa fired again.

"Take this!" But this time Megumi jumped into the air, letting the bullet hit Kota.

"All right!" Kota said. With his shot power double he knocked the Chi-You back with a chest shot.

Taking advantage of its stagger Megumi made an upper cut, slicing through the Chi-You's chest to its face. The target was done and the mission gone well.

"Alrightie! We nailed it this time too!" Kota cheered as he left the others to extract the core.

"Please don't be lazy." Alisa lectured Kota, but then turned to point at Megumi. "And as for you..."

"?"

"Why did you dodge all my Link Bullets? I found it extremely annoying. It was a waste of my bullets and my time."

"..."

"Hey now, we got the job right." Lindow said coming to Megumi's rescue. "Let's head back before the sun goes down. Maybe we'll make it in time to have dinner with the others."

*** Later at the Mesh Hall ***

"Ah, the triumphant return." Sakuya greeted to the four as they came to the teams usual table. "How did the mission go."

"It was great! You should've seen us! Me and Alisa were like BOOM, and Lindow and Megumi went BAM!" Kota busted on. "Then Alisa was gave us a Team Burst to make us a double trouble team! She was awesome out there."

A light blush touched her cheek. "I-it was nothing really. Just a standard tactics, all New-Types can do that."

"Really? Megumi has never done anything like that before." Kota said, drawing all eyes to Megumi who was getting uncomfortable at the turn of the conversation. "You mean she can share a burst too?"

"You know come to think of it I've never seen you devour a live Aragami or go into a Burst before." Sakuya commented to Megumi.

"If you haven't noticed yet in combat she doesn't need a burst." Soma said coming to her defense once he sensed her anxiety.

"Yeah, but it would've made things more convenient for us as a team." Kota shot back before addressing Megumi. "How come you don't go into Burst mode Megumi?"

'I'm sorry... but, my body can't handle it.'

"What do you mean your body can't handle it?" Sakuya asked in concern.

'The excitement of hyper active Oracle Cells could destroy me.' Her body was already unstable enough but the others didn't need to know about that.

"How do you know that if you don't give it a try?" Kota jumped in.

'I know better than anyone what my body can take and what it can't.'

"C'mon Megumi you're being paranoid."

'Enough, Kota. Drop it.'

"But-" Megumi fist banging on the table stopped Kota in his train of thought. Having enough of being pestered, she picked up her cup of tea and left.

"Wait, come back Megumi." Kota called out to her. "I didn't mean to pry."

"Hey, don't walk away. Hey!" Soma shouted to her. When she didn't stop he chased after her.

Just when she just about made it into her room Soma grabbed her arm.

"What's your deal?"

"..."

"Don't shut yourself away from us. Don't turn away from me for getting too close... please."

Conflict coated her face as she finally decided to lead Soma into her from with holding hands.

"As ludicrous as Kota is sometimes he does raise a point." Soma said, continuing the conversation once she closed the door. "Your body is strong, I've seen you handle yourself and more. So why don't you use your Burst mode?"

"..." She lowered her head. Feeling guilt at being unable to answer his question her eyes looked to the wall at her side. Not liking her avoiding gaze he gently cupped her cheek to make her look back up to him.

"You're hiding something from me?"

Sighing in tired reluctance she pulled out her notepad, Soma's hand never moving.

'Yes, I am.'

"Why?" Soma was hurt that she would keep secrets from him, didn't trust him. It may have taken him a while but he trusted her.

'Because this secret isn't mine alone to share.'

"That's just an excuse." Soma growled, dropping his hand from her face.

'What about you? You're hiding something from me too?'

"What?" Soma gasped as her hand went to gently brush his hair away from his eye. Her finger trailed down his face as she moved away.

'You've got beautiful eyes. But they're not the eyes any ordinary God Eaters can get from the P53 Bias Factor. That much Vexen was right about.'

"So what are you calling me a monster?!" Soma said, putting up his shell of anger as he feared she wouldn't accept what he truly was.

'No, but... you are special. That I am sure of?'

"Special is a sugar coated word for saying different." His eyes glinted. "You're right I am different, half-Aragami different."

A twisted grin came onto his face when her eyes widened in shock. "My parents embedded me with a Bias Factor while I was still in my mothers whom. Like some twisted lab rat I was used as a human test sample for their project, Managarm. The goal was to create a human body immune to Aragami devouring. The experiment was a failure, leading to an accidental devouring incident leaving only two members involved with the experiment. Me and my bastard of a father."

"..." She said nothing as he leaned in closer.

"Congratulations, you're looking at the first successful Bias Factor transferee and the starting stone to the creation of God Eaters ." Soma said continuing on as his face contorted into anger and pain. "How does it feel to look into the eyes of a monster."

Without hesitation Megumi embraced him. Holding him tightly as he rested his chin on her shoulder.

"You shouldn't have to be around a monster like me." She held him tighter and he could feel her shaking her head. "I... killed my own mother."

He could hear her scribbling behind him as they embraced. The sound of tearing paper rang through the room. She reached her arm behind her to hand Soma the paper.

'So did I.' He pulled away to look at her face. Her eyes shown with sad understanding and yet still had deeper things.

"What do you mean?" She place a finger on his lips, silencing him before she began to write again.

'Soma, thank you from the bottom of my heart for opening up to me. That must've been hard for you and I love even more for doing so.' But her eyes saddened as she began to write some more. 'However, now's not the time for me to open mine. But I promise you I will, soon, once I straighten things out. So... wait for me, please. I know this is selfish of me, but I still must ask.'

"... Fine... I'll wait until you're ready. Just don't keep me waiting too long." He was about to leave until Megumi grabbed his hand in a desperate grip. "What?"

'Could you please stay... at least until I fall asleep. I haven't been sleeping well lately and your presence will make me feel safe. Don't leave me, okay?'

"(Sigh) Fine." And so Soma held her while they lied on her bed. There foreheads touched as they embraced until sweet slumber took them.

*** Aegis Island ***

"Any signs of that Aragami?" The Director asked Dr. Oguruma.

"No, the Aragami just disappeared off the chart. "Dr. Oguruma answered as he used the main computer to search the areas through satellite. "All activity dealing with 'Hannibal' have ceased for weeks. It's almost like it vanished."

"Hm, good." Grinned the Director.

"Sir?"

"If someone wishes not to be found they can hide in one area for days." The Director answered. "But in the end, sooner or later hunger will drive them out."

"But wouldn't that cause it to go on a massive feeding frenzy?"

"All the more distraction for us to swoop in and take it without others noticing through the chaos." The Director said turning toward the fruits of their Project. Something that looked like a slumbering woman with a crest on her forehead as her hair attached to fuses all around the Lab. "Let's just continue with our plan of drowning out the rat. I believe Alisa is ready for the task."


	16. Chapter 16

As you all have noticed I changed the rating from T to M. This chapter is the reason why.

Wrath of the Hannibal

Megumi had awoken, for once in a long time, from a quiet sleep. Finally getting the rest she needed she felt relieved. However, the burning sensation her throat still remained.

Looking around she saw no traces of Soma. He must have left an hour after she fell asleep. At least he stayed with her until then, he even took off her hoodie and tucked her in. He truly was too good for her.

Getting out of the bed she went to her dresser. She stared at it for a while; pondering if her next course of action was the right choice. Soma did so much for and cared for her more than her silence and secrecy deserved. He deserved better than this, deserved the truth. Her mind made up, she opened the drawer. She pulled out a disk, this little thing held everything he needed to know. Megumi had decided to show it to him after their missions today with the hopes he would be able to take her secrets just as well as she took his.

Placing the disk in her pocket she put on her hoodie and headed off to breakfast.

"Looks like sleeping beauty is finally awake." Sakuya teased Megumi as she came to the table. "How was you're sleep last night?"

'Great, never felt better.' Megumi answered before she toke her seat. Sakuya noticed the blush on Soma's face at the question. A mischievous grin came over her.

"And what are we blushing about this morning Soma? Got something to share?" She grinned wider as Soma tried to hide behind his hood.

"Nothing."

"Don't be coy Soma, what are you hiding?"

"Leave me alone Sakuya."

"Oh but this is too much fun." Sakuya picked at him. "We rarely see such a red color on your face."

"Sakuya." Soma rumbled a warning.

"Boy, you guys seem lively today." Lindow greeted as he came to the table.

"More like tedious." Alisa replied. "I fail to see the significants in the change of blood flow in Soma's cheeks."

"Are you kidding?!" Kota said dramatically. "This is a phenomenon we're witnessing here. The only emotion this guy has ever shown is brooding."

"Damn you. Shut up." Soma barked at Kota.

"What, it's true!"

"Haha, alright break it up guys." Lindow said, ending the on going joke. "You need to get ready for your mission today. You'll be facing the big kitties."

"Big kitties?" Kota questioned out loud.

"A Vajra," Soma answered. "It's a tiger-like Aragami."

"Sounds like this is going to be a tough mission." Sakuya commented.

"What about you Lindow?" Kota asked, concluding that this mission would be just him, Megumi, Sakuya, and Soma.

"Me? Well me and the Rookie were assigned to scout out the activity of a new type of Aragami in the area."

"Isn't that mission a little too much for a Rookie?" Kota questioned at HQ's choice of partnering for this mission.

"Your implications are unappreciated and unnecessary." Alisa said, getting offended. "I can handle myself."

"Haha, see Kota. I'm in good hands."

"Be careful Lindow. Okay?" Sakuya pleaded.

"Always am," replied Lindow. "Well guys, you've got your mission and we've got ours. C'mon Rookie, let's get the job done."

"Roger," Alisa got up to follow Lindow out.

"Well, we better not lag behind either." Sakya said to the otehrs, standing up. "You guys ready?"

"Yeah," Soma said noticing Megumi to his side jug down a glass of orange juice and grab two pieces of toast before nodding that she was ready.

"What are we waiting for, let's go!" Kota was pumped for this mission, he found it exciting to be facing a new opponent.

Megumi was about to follow the others when a sharp prick came from her throat. Stopping in place she gripped her neck.

"Something wrong?" Soma asked. She removed her hand before he turned around. Denying it she shook her head. "Then let's go."

She got up and grabbed his sleeve. "Yeah?" Grabbing his hand she opened it palm up. Placing the disk in his hand she closed it under his fingers. "What's this?"

'Everything,' not going into depth anymore she left to catch up with the others. Confused by her lack of explanation he looked down at the disk in his hand.

"Everything huh?" He said out loud before placing it in his pocket. Once the mission was over he'd give it a look.

*** City of Mercy ***

Searching around the church they found the Vajra in the back of the church; devouring scavenge materials by a destroyed wall that once belonged to a building.

The Vajra caught Megumi off guard by just charging at after a second long roar. She jumped back but it still mauled her jacket open, revealing her tank-top.

Angered by the audacity of the Vajra, Soma slammed his blade right on the Vajra's face, crushing its face armor. Kota and Sakuya provided the cover fire.

Recovering, Megumi did a side swipe with her blade which knocked the Vajra back. Relentlessly she continued to side swipe it with her large buster blade. The Vajra didn't even have a chance to counter before it was dead. Collecting its core they all took a breather.

"Alright! We nailed it this time too!" Kota cheered.

"Yes, let's keep this up for next time."

"Shh!" Soma said as he heard movement coming from around the church. "Something's coming."

Readying their weapons they cautiously walked around the corner to whatever lied behind it.

"What?" Soma said in surprise, lowering his guard.

"You guys?" Lindow was just as surprised as they were to find each other in the same area.

"Huh? What are you doing here, Lindow?" Kota asked.

Examining them, Megumi noted no injuries on them so they must have still been searching for their target. But Alisa seemed... zoned out.

"Why would they send two teams to the same section?" Sakuya asked, approaching Lindow. "What does this mean?"

But Lindow raised his hand commandingly, stopping Sakuya in her tracks.

"Let's worry about that later. We need to wrap this up and head back. We'll take the inside. You guys take the outside. Got that?"

Nodding to his command they formed a barricade around the entrance of the church while Lindow and Alisa went inside.

All was quiet at first, nothing insight to deem a threat. Suddenly Megumi began to feel rumble beneath her feet and a roar came from inside the church. On instinct she broke position to secure the safety of the inside team, but Soma grabbed her shoulder to stop her.

"Stand down." He commanded. "Our orders were to secure the entrance of the church. Don't worry, they can handle themselves."

But the rumbling got louder, almost like an earthquake. But this was no earthquake... it was a stampede.

"No! Stop it!" They heard Alisa cry out before a gun shot fired out followed by the falling of rumble. What could possibly be going on in there, but they had no way of finding out as they were being sounded by Aragami that resembled ice-cold Vajra's with the face of a cruel woman.

Figuring out what the commotion was Sakuya ran into the church to discover a hysteric Alisa lying on the floor looking at a closed in entrance to the inner sanctum. Judging by the roar coming from inside and the lack of blood from under the rumble Lindow was still in there. Alisa had trapped him.

"Alisa! What have you done?!" Sakuya cried out.

"No, no. Daddy... Mommy... I-I didn't mean it." Alisa was in another world and no help to them now.

Turning to the close-in Sakuya tried to blast her way through. Meanwhile with the others the Aragami where closing in.

"This isn't good... we're surrounded here too, dammit..." Soma said, bracing himself for what most likely would be the fight of their lives.

One of the Aragami broke through Kota's defense knocking him back. Noticing his dangerous predicament, Sakuya turned to fire at the Aragami. Pushing it away from Kota as Soma forced it back out of the church. The other Aragami took this as the initiative to attack.

"Hurry the hell up or we'll be surrounded!" Soma shouted as he pushed another one back.

"Take Alisa back to the Den with you." Lindow said through the close-in. "That's an order."

"But-"

"Didn't you hear me?! Take Alisa and head back to the Den, damn you!" Lindow commanded taking control of the situation. "Sakuya, take charge of the others! Soma, find a way out of here!"

"Daddy... Mommy... I didn't mean it..." Alisa began to cry hysterically.

"Hurry Lindow! Come with us!" Sakuya pleaded to him through the wall.

"I'd like to, but I think I'll mess with these guys first... save some ration beer for me!"

"No. Then I'll stay and fight too!"

"Sakuya..." The message could be heard in Lindow's voice, he was going to die. "I'm ordering you! Make sure you get everyone home alive!"

"No!"

"Don't run away..." All went quiet as a voice that sounded like it was made of silk rang in the air. Even Soma had to turn. Did that... did that just come from Megumi? "Don't run away from living. You've got to survive!"

The Aragami went hysterical, it was like her voice was catnip to them and they wanted more. Even the Aragami inside Soma drawn to her.

Forgetting about everyone else all the Aragami focused their attack on Megumi. They circled around her general area, waiting for the opportune moment to pounce. Grinning at them she walked forward, accepting their challenge.

"Oh my God, you can talk!" Kota exclaimed pointing at her as she passed. Paying no mind to everyone's shock Megumi continued forward. As she walked she reach out her arm to her side and stabbed her God Arc into the ground.

"What are you doing?! Have you lost your mind?!" Soma stormed at her idiotic idea of dropping her weapon during a grossly out numbering battle. But Megumi stopped in her tracks and placed a finger on his lips to silence him. Her head only slightly turned as she addressed him.

"Watch, this will be fun to see." Another shiver of excitement ran through Soma's spine as she spoke. The Aragami growled at the sound of her voice.

"Fools," she said while still approaching them. "You dare to challenge the King. Fine, I'll oblige you."

She stopped approaching and crouched down. Crossing her arms she thrust them back down to release long blades from her arm. The blades lit aflame as she got into a double fighting stance.

"Whoa! Holy!" Was all she heard behind her, from Kota.

"Come," as if on command they launched at her. The first one that came at her she took out with a cross slash, separating its front legs and its head from its body. Another came at her side, taking a step back she side dodged its paw.

The Aragami missed leaving a huge opening in its defense. And Megumi took it. Shooting up her blade into the Aragami's skull, she impaled it while the other hand continuous stabbed into the Aragami's chest.

Dropping the bloody corpse of the Aragami the third one came at her other side. Turning toward it she was surprised by its sudden movement. She jumped back but its claws still tore apart her tank-top along with her bra, revealing a good portion of her chest and tone stomach.

"My shirt!" Megumi exclaimed in shock which soon turned to rage. "Now you're going to get it!" A ripping sound could be heard coming from behind her as a large long reptile tail came from her and wrapped the Aragami's neck.

"Ahh!" Sakuya screamed out in horror.

"W-what the?!" Was all Soma could say at the sight.

Megumi must not have heard them through the chaos because she continued to toss the Aragami around, smacking it to the ground and the platforms alike. Having enough, she held it up with her tail.

"You are in for a world of pain!" She told it before receding the blade on her right arm back in. Then she used said hand to rip into its chest and pulled out its core.

"Holy..." was all Kota could say as she raised her head to swallow the core whole and repeating the process with the other two dead Aragami.

The last one knew it was going to lose but refuse to go out lying down. So going out in a blaze it charged at Megumi, full front, going in for a bite. Megumi charged at it to meet its match.

But as she ran she began to change. Horns came out of her forehead, she began to grow, and scales formed on her skin. The process tore off the sleeves of her hoodie and ripped her long socks and shoes out of existence. She looked like she was wearing doll's clothes.

"The Hannibal," Soma said in disbelief. In a world of her own Megumi charge at the Aragami on two legs. Grabbing the Aragami's throat she slammed it down on the ground. Holding it down she bit into its jugular and ripped its head off. Tossing the head on the ground she sprouted wings of fire from her back. As she flew into the air she breathed out fire rendering the Aragami's corpse to ashes.

Coming back down she transformed back into a human leaving only the wings of fire and her tail and her yellow Aragami eyes. Using her tail she retrieved its core from the ashes and devoured it as the flames of her carnage danced behind her. What remained of her clothes were turned to shreds with the exception of her hood which found its way on her head.

Once the deed was done she laughed hysterically. Eyes squeezed shut and mouth wide open grin as her shoulders shook with her laughter.

"It was you..." Soma's voice made her stop her burst. "The Aragami that saved us was that time before was you!"

"Soma," her eyes sudden in guilt of her deceit. "I-"

But that was all she could get out before another one of those Aragami came at her from the side. Her eyes widen in shock as it bite into her jugular. Everything went into slow motion as the Aragami went to the ground dragging Megumi with it.

They watched in horror, frozen in place, as three more of those Aragami came into play. They ripped Megumi apart, piece by piece, as they devoured her. Blood splattered everywhere.

"Meegumiii!" All three of them screamed in agony.

"What's going on out there?!" Lindow asked.

"It's Megumi!" Sakuya cried out. "Oh God, they ate her!"

The Aragami were fighting among each other for her intestines as they ripped her apart.

The Aragami began to bark as if laughing at futility of their cries. The humans should've learned by now, in the end the prize was always theirs.

Soma was speechless. In just five seconds, those monsters took away the happiness he never was able to experience in his life before. The happiness he barely got to have.

"You bastards!" Soma cried, "I'll kill you all! You bastards!"

Their barks stopped abruptly as they began to gag. They acted like they were choking on something or their insides were being torn apart.

Which the group soon found out that they were. Arms shot out of two of the Aragami's chest, taking out the core along with them. Legs ripped out of the stomach of another and the last Aragami was burned alive from the inside.

"Oh dear God..." Sakuya gasped out in pure terror. The limbs they were moving. They crawled their way to the ashes of the burned Aragami.

Once reaching their goal they dissolved away. The last one had it worst as a whole Megumi tore out from the ashes of its stomach. Screaming out as new limbs form on her body. Megumi... what was she?

Her eyes still glowed like the yellow eyes of an Aragami. Her clothes long destroyed, the only thing covering her modesty was her long hair that miraculously grew back to its original length. In a desperate starvation she devoured the cores around her on all fours. Her hair covering her as she ravaged them as if she hadn't eaten in days.

"Megumi... what are you?" Jolting up toward the direction of Sakuya's voice. Megumi's amber eyes stared at her through her hair strands, showing them all her sharp teeth.

There hearts stop for a moment at the sight of her. Once she got up she transformed back into a Hannibal.

"Now, now Megumi... calm down." Sakuya said with a stutter as she growled lowly from her stomach.

"Megumi... it's us." Sakuya said trying to reach her. "We're your friends." Megumi roared loudly as she charged on two legs. "Ahhh!"

Sakuya flinched, preparing for the worse to come. But Megumi passed her, charging toward... the close-in. Blocking her head with her arms she broke through. Lindow the Aragami were shocked by the sight of her.

Everything went in slow motion as she turned to look at them. The Aragami took a step back, a costly mistake. Sensing its fear, Megumi leaped at it. Pulling out swords made of flames she threw the Aragami in the air and sliced at it, making it rain down blood. The parts scattered around and the core was caught in the air by her teeth.

"Lindow! Are you alright!" Sakuya exclaimed, running in with the others with Alisa in tote just as Megumi swallowed the core.

"I'm fine..." He answered, they all froze in place as Megumi slowly turned to look at them. The '**1**' tattoo fully exposed on her chest. "That is you in there, isn't it Megumi?"

The Aragami stared at him for a second before opening her mouth. "I've... got... your back."

"Thanks... Rookie." Megumi's lips twitched up to what they believed to be a grin.

A roar came from behind Megumi as a new type of Aragami came into the church through the broken window. This Aragami resembled a Vajra but was dark and had the face of an older man with a gray man resembling a beard. This one seemed more feral than the others, more dangerous.

Getting in front of the others, she blocked the Aragami from them. The Aragami roared at her, but Megumi looked upon the Aragami as if she could understand it.

"You are angered by my part with killing your mates. Perhaps you should have thought of that before you started trouble in my turf." The Aragami growled at her than looked at Alisa. "You know this girl?"

A low rumble came from the Aragami, however Megumi was angered by this. In her rage she charged half way back to human. Taking on a female humanoid size and shape with the exception of scales covering her body. The horns were still on her forehead and she still had a tail. The only human skin exposed was her face and the center area of her torso.

"No, you cannot eat her." The rumble grew louder. "For the last time, you cannot have her!"

The Aragami roared at this and jumped down at her. The rolled around in a wrestling match. At one point the Aragami got the best of her, pinning her to the ground, forcing her to hold back its jaws from her face with her bare hands/claws.

Taking one for the team she let the Aragami bite into her arm using the other one to punch it off of her. While it was in shock from the punch she whacked it into the wall her tail.

"You're like a baby. You don't know what to do so you put things in your mouth to better understand them in your flawed form of learning." She says, grabbing its skull and sliding it against the wall. "Never understanding the damage you cause in the pursuit of knowledge."

Bored on planting its face in the wall she jumped into the air with it in tote. "Know your place," she drew it to the ground. "Child of Chaos!"

The impact made a crater on the floor, game set and matched. With no need of staying in that form she charge back into fully human. She had won, falling back down on her feet she began to devour its core. However, the battles before had taken its tole on her. She hasn't devoured cores in such a long time her body wasn't use to it. The fact she started again with such a large amount would most likely would offset her body. If she ate one more core it would obliterate her.

But she needed to do this, the last thing her team needed was to have to face this thing another time. With that in mind she dived in head first, devouring the core directly without using her hands.

She knew this would damage her. Her body couldn't take it, she began to zone out as the memories from the cores took her for a journey. While in the real world her teammates looked at her falling to her knees looking up with zoned out eyes as if she was high. They had no idea how to approach her as she occasionally twitched. It was eery how her eyes turned solid black.

"Dude," Kota said breaking the silence. "Is anybody else uncomfortable by the fact that Megumi isn't wearing any clothes."

"Kota, I swear to God if you look I will kill you." Soma threatened, also noticing that her long flowing hair was the only thing covering her.

"Here we come..." Megumi whispered, barely heard by the others. Then she spoke louder. "Wait, not yet."

"Ready or not here we come." Megumi said swishing her head slowly from side to side. Her voice keep changing from what sounded like a man's voice and an older version of Alisa. But then it turned into what sounded like a child's. "Wait, not yet."

Alisa in Sakuya's arm flinched at her voice and began to shake uncontrollably. "No, please stop." She whimpered.

Megumi ignored her pleased and repeated it again as she got to her feet. "Here we come... ready or not." She had switched their places. "Okay, ready!" Her eyes never left Alisa.

"Please, stop!" Alisa pleaded lowered grabbing her head.

"Alisa, Megumi, what's wrong with you two?!" Sakuya cried out with worry.

"Here we come..." Megumi continued on. Her blank face then turned to pure horror as she spoke in the child's voice. "Daddy... Mommy... Stop it, don't eat them..."

"No, stop it!" "NO STOP IT!" Megumi and Alisa said at the same time. Alisa shouted in delirium. Wanting it to stop, in her confusion, she picked up her God Arc and fired a Megumi's head. Knocking Megumi to the floor as she hit her right in the forehead.

"Alisa! Oh dear God, Megumi!" Sakuya screamed out while Soma kicked Alisa's God Arc back to the ground as she cried in madness.

"What the hell are you doing?!"

"Ow..." They all turned in shock, Megumi just got back up like it was just a paintball shot. She gave them a show as the hole from the shot instantly healed. "That hurt..."

Her normal color had returned to her eyes, but they were still nervous about her.

"Megumi, are you alright?" Soma demanded an answer, his worry was consuming him. "Judging by how sensitive you are to God Arc bullets you should be dead."

"No, they just really hurt. I can't die."

"What do you mean you can't die?! Everyone is equal to death."

"I mean I can't die." To prove her point her right hand reached for her left chest where her tattoo was.

"What are you-" But before Soma could ask she ripped into her chest and pulled out her heart.

"Holy CRAP!" Kota screamed out as Sakuya screamed too. Ignoring their cries she showed it for all of them to see and crushed it in her hand. To drive the point some more she dropped it to the floor and smashed it with her foot.

Slightly moving her hair aside she showed them how a new heart regenerated in her body as the muscle and tissue healed over it along with new layers of skin. They all froze at the live demonstration of the human anatomy.

"You see, my body regenerates from the worse of injures. I can't die."

"Wow, that's kinda awesome." Kota spoke, trying to lighten the mood. "Must be cool never having to worry about dying."

But that comment only made her angry. "It's not cool Kota. It really HURTS! Have you ever been bitten into; impaled; burned; electrocuted; shot; beheaded; had your limbs cut off? I was ripped apart and eaten right in front of you for God's sake! Do you have any idea what it's like to be conscious to every part of your body in separate stomachs?! It's hell!"

"Okay, okay! I'm sorry, I didn't mean any harm."

"I died countless times and yet I keep getting back up. This is not a gift Kota... it's a curse." Megumi looked up sadly to the ceiling. "Death has abandoned me. The only guarantee of peace I have in this world is time."

"Time?" Lindow questioned.

"I'm aging like normal Lindow. So if death won't take me time eventually will."

"What are you Megumi?" Soma asked. "Are you an Aragami?"

"No, I was a human... once. Now, I am one of the Children of Misfortune. The misfortunate of them all. Being stronger than the others I can't control my Oracle Cells. They build up in my voice box and attract Aragami to me as I speak."

"But how... how did this happen to you?" Soma asked in sympathy. It seems that life had screwed her over too.

"That question will have to wait for another time. I'm running out of time before I release."

"Release?" Sakuya asked.

"You'll see... But first things first." She said looking toward a weeping Alisa in Sakuya's arms. Slowly Megumi approached her.

"Don't look at me, just leave me alone. Stay away!" Alisa began to shake her head. "Leave me alone, leave me alone!"

"Alisa calm down." Sakuya said, trying to steady her. Megumi continued moving toward her. Alisa shake her head move vigorously as she gripped it.

"I'm sorry. I'm sorry, I'm sorry, I'm sorry, I'm sorry..." The tears were rolling down he face. "Daddy... Mommy... It's not... it's not what you think!"

"It's us, do you recognize us Alisa?" Sakuya gently asked her. But Alisa ignored her as Megumi come closer.

"I didn't! I didn't mean to do it!" She cried out, looking at Megumi. "You're wrong! It wasn't me! It wasn't fault!"

"!" They all gasped at Alisa accusations. They explained so much and yet so little. Megumi was now standing in front of her, her eyes had turned back into solid black.

"Leave me alone!" Alisa practically sneered at her. "You should've just left me alone!"

Megumi knelt down in front of her and reached for Alisa.

"NO!" Alisa cried out and flinched as Megumi came closer. But all Megumi did was hold her in a loving embrace. "!"

"We never blamed you, not once." She began to talk in that woman's voice again which made Alisa freeze in place. Then she changed back into a man's voice. "We're just so grateful that you survived."

Alisa began to wail into Megumi's embrace, getting involved with the hug as she held Megumi tighter. "Daddy... Mommy!"

"Now, now, now. No more tears. You're a big strong girl now." Gently rubbing Alisa's head she switched voices again. "Now you're strong enough to protect what you love with your own strength."

"I'll try Mommy and Daddy. I'll try..."

"Good," Megumi's body flinched inwardly, she grabbed her stomach in pain. "It seems our time is up. You must continue on with your life without us."

"W-what? But wait!"

"Time's up Sweetie." Megumi's body got up and staggered its way out of the church. "We must rest now."

"Megumi, where are you going?!" Soma asked, worried about he state of mind. This time Megumi did answer herself.

"A place where I can let go..." And into the light she went with Soma soon to follow. The follow were not too far behind, Sakuya had Alisa leaning on her shoulder for support.

Her walking became slightly more steady as she made to the edge of the area. But a ball of light floated from her throat from which a flock of grace butterflies. Out of the butterflies emerged a skull. The others had no idea what was going on, their day was already crazy enough. But Megumi approached the skull and gently held the skull in her fingers with fondness, disregarding the butterflies. But her face expressed raw sadness as a tear ran down from her eye.

"When are they going to stop breaking my heart." More of the skull's skeleton came into existence through the butterflies. "I don't want to be tormented like this no more."

Once the skeleton emerged out of the butterflies they circled around it and fused with it. Giving it living flesh and a thin white gown with drape ends to cover the body with. But this was no body, Lindow, and Soma recognized her from the photo... it was Megumi's mother. The only difference about her was that she had stitches that went all around her neck; her left upper arm; and her left wrist as if they were keeping her together. She started to dance like a possessed ballerina and her body started to form glowing lines all over her as she started to sing.

"At the end of a temporary paradise

In a land far off in the waste

I am fated to suffer in this twisted form

With the other Children

Our lives from before no longer exist

As we're forced to fight round and round

With this never ending hunger

I decided to defy my fate

Not knowing anything, I've caused suffering

But I have been doing that all of my life

Such is my fated life, and my family's curse

No longer able to walk among men

We just search for our own paradise

With warm hands in hands

But we could not reach."

"Sing forever..." Commanded her mother, Shiyuri, her voice was gentle and soothing like an angel. And Megumi's was beautiful just like her mother's but tragic as she continued her sound. Her dance picked up its pace. Her dance picked up its pace.

"As the world slowly dies

We all did our part

With cursed hands we fought the earth's beast

With gentle ones we revived the dying lands.

From the monsters who could never contain

Their never ending hunger

That went more further than that"

The two began to dance together but never truly made contact as the lines on Megumi's body began to glow brighter. Abruptly stopping with the stomp of their feet, Megumi continued on alone.

"My paradise was in a land not far from me

With a loving mother

And a caring father

They were both taken abruptly from me

As the hungry beasts took them from away

From the side I could do nothing but watch

Oh how I long for the stolen days

As the voices echo agonizingly in my mind

Oh why has fate been so cruel

My voice drew the attention of a dealer

That we all know as Father

He would give me the power of a fighter

At the cost of my voice

The voice said to be gifted from the heavens

Vanish away from the ears of man

For the voice had become the song of Aragami

Any man who came close will soon meet with death

For the voice now belongs to the Aragami."

Shiyuri reached out her hand to Megumi, but Megumi passed her as they spoke at the same time. "Who will fight for me?" "I will fight."

She continued to sing but she looked to be in more pain as a dark glow come from her throat.

"I've taken the lives of the roaring beasts

That has caused the cries of the world

Along side the ones I call kin

But as we fight the more of them come

And it goes on in on

Are we fated to forever fight

Never reaching our paradise?"

Megumi fell over holding her throat. On her hands and knees she held her throat, her hair making a curtain around her. Only silent choking sounds came from her voice. A gentle laughter rang out like bells came from her mother.

Megumi got up on her knees to turn and look at her mother. Shiyuri had a gentle smile. But her body began to fade away into white butterflies, consuming her from her feet all the way to her top. The butterflies flew into the sky with the exception of one, that glowed a bright light. The butterfly flew into Megumi's hand.

"Please sing..." The butterfly gently asked in her mother's voice.

"I pray for a brighter world

So I will continue to fight."

So gently caressed the butterfly to her heart with both her hands. Her eyes softened as she continued on.

"I want all to smile again

And no one cries alone anymore

But that is just wishful thinking

For despair shall always walk this earth

But I will continue to fight this endless fight

Even though my existence was stolen from me

Because in the end once we come down to it

We only fight to live!"

The last two line she raised her pitch as she lifted her hand to the sky, allowing the butterfly to float off with the others.

"May history not repeat itself." Was the last thing the butterfly said before disappearing.

Megumi's eyes jolted open. She struggled to her feet, her body began to shine.

"All voices encounter the light and shadow

As history continues to repeat itself

But the sounds of infinite possible worlds

Still shines brighter than any declared end."

She glowed brighter and brighter and her voice became more booming.

"All life ends and grows again

That's the way the cycle goes

Nothing shall ever hinder its course

So I will be here to protect the growing!"

Her light had burst from her body and in its wave instantly grew life. Plants grew from her burst, reaching a radius of 100 meters.

And what flew from her seemed to be spirits that scattered in the wind. Two of them resembled... Alisa.

"Daddy! Mommy!" They looked at Alisa and smiled. Waving at her they headed to the sky. "Goodbye."

"Ugh..." Megumi moaned gaining the others attention again. She wobbled her way to them. "That's unusual."

"What, the fact that you turned into an Aragami and ate cores?" Kota said sarcastically still in shock. "Or the fact that your burst change the terrain of the area?!"

"No, that was normal." She answered him keeping her cool. "But the burst should have been more violent. I did eat nine cores after all..."

"And that's a bad thing?" Lindow pondered her logic.

"Beats me... But what is bad is the Taunting Scent I smelled in the air. Someone was luring the Aragami here."

"Why would anybody do such a thing?!" Sakuya gasped.

"Perhaps they wished to get rid of something or someone." Megumi went to take Alisa from Sakuya and carried her princess style. "Anyway, let's get you to a Medic. Your body's been under a lot of stress."

"T-thank you..." Alisa answered up to her tiredly. "I c-can feel your warmth flowing through me."

"No problem. But can you tell my why those spirits where so desperate to talk to you that they took over my body?"

She looked away from Megumi. "They're my parent. I-I though I had forgotten about that day... During a game of hide-and seek I though I play a trick on my parents... and went to hide in a nearby building. Ready or not. Here we come. But... then suddenly the started running and screaming 'Aragami! It's an Aragami!'"

Alisa grabbed her head and started to cry. "I should've ran out then... but I was so scared I couldn't move. Daddy and Mommy... came out looking for me. I heard a terrifying growl... then suddenly right before my eyes!"

"It's all right." Megumi said gently in comfort. "You don't have to say anymore. I get what happened."

Alisa calmed a bit and stared out into nothingness as she continued her story. "That's why... when they told me that I was considered a candidate for a New-Type Gods Eater, I thought, 'Now I can avenge my parent's death.' Yes... THAT Aragami... The one that killed my parents. AHH!"

Megumi held her closer as panic took over Alisa. "I don't know what happened! I was given medicine to keep my symptoms in check by Dr. Oguruma."

"Dr. Oguruma?"

"Yes, he's my personal doctor. A good man, he even transferred Branches with me just to make sure I was okay. He help me find which Aragami killed my parents and that it was spotted in this Branch area. And just when I had finally found it..." Alisa grabbed her head and started to cry out. "I don't know what's going on! In my mind, at the moment, Lindow became the enemy! Before I knew it I was pointing my gun at Lindow! (Sob)."

They were all silenced by her story. All that could be heard was Alisa's whimper as they made their way to the check point. Bringing up her arm while still holding Alisa, Megumi wiped away her tears. "But you didn't shoot Lindow."

"!"

"See. You're stronger than what you think. You have the power to rely on your own strength. You've finally avenged your parents and finally made peace with yourself. I'd say so far that it's been a pretty good day."

"How..." Alisa finally spoke as they made their way to the starting point.

"?"

"How can I ever repay you for all you've done for me?"

"... Live."

"!" Megumi looked at her, waiting for an answer. "... I will... try."

"Good. I know you ca-" Megumi stopped and fell to her knees as they made their way into the alley behind the church; doing everything she could to not joust Alisa. "Ahhh!"

"Megumi!" They all shouted.

"What's wrong?!" Soma came to her side.

"I-I was right! The burst was too small!" Her body began to shake and her neck turned black and began to push through her veins. "Ahh! Someone... take her!"

Lindow came to her side and took Alisa from her. Once Alisa was out of her hands she sat down, leaning on the cliff behind her.

"See, Alisa. Lindow's not holding a grudge." She tried to laugh but her body started to shake compulsively. She began to choke out empty coughs.

"G-get out of here."

"What?!" Soma couldn't believe she even said that.

"Get out of here... hurry. Before they get here."

"And leave you to get eaten again? Hell no!"

"It's not like it'll kill me..."

"We are not going to watch that happen again. I'm already going to have nightmares from this day, I'm not going to add more to that."

"Soma please..."

"No! Stop trying to be a damn martyr!"

"Roarrr!" Came the sound of the beast on the other side of the alley. It was like the Aragami from before. But this one had no beard and its mane was a bright blue. But more noticeably... it had a cross scare on it's nose and the Gothic style **8** tattooed on its chest.

"Darn... he's here... I hoped he wouldn't see me like this." Megumi said looking at the Aragami as it made its way toward them.

Soma got up. Getting in front of Megumi he drew his God Arc.

"What do you mean he?! What's going on?!"

"I told you..." She said in a weak voice. "A Child of Misfortune."

As the Aragami approached it transformed into medium size male hidden under a black leather trench coat hoodie. Matching leather gloves and boots covered the rest.

"Fool... you should've never let it gotten this far." His voice was smoothed but still had the roughness of a villain.

"Saix..."

"Don't address me by my name in front of the outsiders."

"They've already seen all our faces now, it'd be more dangerous to address our by your numbers."

"Hmph, fair enough."

"Ugh! (Moan) Ahhh!" Megumi cried out, scrunching into herself. Her shakes got worse, more violent, until half her face and her right arm changed back into a Hannibal. "Saix, Runnn!"

Saix jumped back as her Hannibal arm swung at him. The fist missed and ended up destroying a steel bar impaled in the ground. Both of Megumi's hand went to grab her head. A great pain went through her head as the darkness in her veins spread further from her neck.

"This is bad! I... I'm over flowing!" Her fist randomly saving at Saix forcing him to move back. Slowly losing her mind from the overload she began to ramble random things like a crazed. "M-make it stop!"

"How did you get through..." She split another steal bar as Saix tried to take cover behind it. The constant dodging knocked his hood down to reveal his face to the others. "Oh dear, oh dear, oh dear."

"No, no. Go back!" Her Hannibal arm created a fire spear jumping in the air she tried to impale Saix. Dodging her, she landed on the ground with her spear melting into the ground, she missed. "(Moan) Are you crazy?!"

"G-get back, g-g-get back." Her other arm turned into a Hannibal's arm to meet up with the other in the air as she slammed her fist into the ground. "STOP IT!"

The force of the impact pushed everyone back along with created a crater. A Vajra jumped on her from above. The Vajra knocked her off her feet as its front paw kept her down.

Before the others could panic they noticed a Gothic **9** tattooed on its chest before it changed... into Axel. The paw became a hand as he used his upper body weight to hold her down.

"Sorry King, this is for your own good." Axel said apologetically before punching into her spine. A snap sound could be heard echoing through the alleyway, he had paralyzed her from the waste down.

"Stand aside Axel." Saix ordered as he approached. "I know you don't have the heart to do this."

Not denying his claims Axel moved out of his way. Saix flipped Megumi over. She had a look of pure fear on her face as her eyes pleaded with him.

"Her spine will heal itself shortly, we must act quickly."

"The monsters... they're looking through the window." Megumi cried out, opening her eyes wider.

"I know..." Saix soothed to her before lifting her head to reveal her neck. "I'm sorry."

He bit down into her throat. Her eyes opened wide and dilated at the intrusion.

"Ahhh!" She screamed out.

"What the hell do you think you're doing?!" Soma shouted getting ready to rush in a push Saix away from her.

"Be quiet!" Saix ordered after spitting out a tar-like substance he retrieved from her throat. Before the wound healed he went in for more.

"Just shut up and watch." Axel said bitterly. Leaning on a steel bar with arms crossed, listening helplessly to his sister's screams.

Saix repeated the process two more times before Megumi began to glow line on her body again. With the wound on her neck already healing, her cries turned into tiny whimpers.

"The darkness is contained, but she's still going to burst." Saix said, whipping the remains of the tar off his mouth.

"That's not good, she can't burst here. The shock waves could make this place collapse." Axel said, getting off of the steel bar. "Roxas, get her out of here!"

"I'm on it!" Came Roxas's voice from above. But what came down was... that Chi-You Aragami from before. Soma did some digging on it from his last encounter with it. Apparently the Aragami was from one of the Fallen species. So that time before, it was Roxas all along.

Roxas picked up Megumi just like he had before. Securing her in his human arms he jumped onto the starting point cliff and rushed off.

"Let's go, let's go, let's go!" Axel ordered out as he changed back into a Vajra. Saix soon followed with his Aragami. They both followed after Roxas, leaving the others behind.

"Hey, put her down! Where are you taking her?!" Soma shouted at them. "Get back here!"

"Soma!" Lindow shouted to Soma, grabbing his shoulder to stop him while still holding up Alisa. "We can't catch up with them now. We'll have to use the Chopper."

Realizing Lindow's words rang truth. Soma rushed with the others to the Chopper drop off area. They startled the pilot with their hasty entrance. By the way they were behaving and how they carried on of their members the pilot thought they were being chased by the devil.

"Take off." Lindow ordered. "We need to find a missing member."

"Sir I'm not picking up any bio signal from any armlet out there." The pilot pointed out from the the tracking device on the Chopper. "The person you're looking for is most likely..."

"Just do it!" Soma growled at the man.

"Y-yes sir!" Fear motivated the pilot to quickly lifted up into the air. They circled the city opening to spot the Aragami family.

"There!" Sakuya pointed out a Fallen Chi-You jumping out of the city and into the wasteland carrying a shaking girl. The other two were following beside the Chi-You, securing its side.

"Where are they taking her?" Kota asked aloud before addressing the pilot. "Can you take us closer?"

"Not without the risk of being spotted."

Following them at a distance they saw how stray Ogretails tried to attack the Chi-You. But the Vajra and the other Aragami kept them at bay. The Vajra was strange, unlike normal lighting based Vajras this one was fire based. But they guessed they weren't too surprised considering who that Vajra was and its fiery mane. They kept running until they met up with the other Aragami Lindow and Soma have seen before.

However, there where more of them. A Fallen Gboro, a Vajratail, and a Fallen Cocoon Maiden were new additions to the group. The Gboro and Cocoon Maiden were normal Ice base Fallen spices. However, the Cocoon Maiden had blond hair that stood out with its blue body base, and its face was more manly compared to most Cocoon Maidens. The Vajratail would have been a regular Divine base Vajratail if it weren't for the blue fur that came from its mane.

But those extra Aragami were nothing compared to the Fallen Ouroboros that was miraculously surviving the dry terranes of the wasteland. Lindow felt that this was the same Aragami from his date, he could feel it in his gut.

Once the Fallen Chi-You placed Megumi in the center of them and circled around her to form a barricade around her. Megumi began to glow brighter which apparently drew more Aragami toward her. But the barricade would not let them pass. Vajratail and Fallen Cocoon Maiden shot out needles at the enemies; Gboros shot out canons and the Quadriga fired missiles; Lasers came from the Fallen Ouroboros and Aether; while the other Aragamis clawed and pierced the enemies back.

But the Aragami kept coming at them with full force as Megumi's shakes grew more and more violent. A crack in her shakes and her spine was back in place. Something about Megumi was luring the Aragami to her. Even Soma felt something calling to him seductively in the back of his head, beckoning him to Megumi. The Aragami inside him was going hysterical with excitement and hunger. Snarling inside him in frustration for not being able to join in the massacre.

Time stopped as Megumi's tossing around came to a halt. Her loud cry rang out through the wasteland as her torso shot into the air and a burst of energy shot from her body. The barricade stood still as the wave passed them by, knocking all the other remaining Aragami far away.

The burst spread out through the wasteland along with new growth that came with. The Chopper watched in awe when a massive chunk of the wasteland turned into a prairie. Grass grew over the corpses of the enemy Aragami and a bed of flowers circled around the resting Megumi. All her shakes and pained expression disappeared from Megumi, she rested soundly.

The barricade was slow at righting themselves. There was an opening.

"Now!" Lindow ordered. Soma dropped down a Flash Grenade, blinding the Aragami as the Chopper went down enough for Soma to jump off and grab Megumi. He rushed into the Chopper before the Aragami recovered.

"Pilot, get us out of here!" Soma shouted out.

"That was beyond crazy!" The pilot said taking off into the air again.

Averting his eyes Soma removed his jacket to cover Megumi. Zipping it up for the first time to save her modesty. She slept peacefully through it all.

Recovering from the burst the Aragami were not happy about them taking Megumi.

"Bring her back!" Shrieked the Aether, it flew after them along the Chi-You. The Vajra and the Borg Camlann chased after them from the ground. "You don't know what you're doing!"

The pilot tried maneuvering to get them off his tail. The attempts were fetal so he fired missiles at them. The Aragami twirled around to get the missiles off them. But they were heat sensors so it was harder than they though. Working together they got most to explode on other missiles. But the last one was a direct hit on the Aether, it went down. The Chi-You went to catch the Aether, breaking its fall along with knocking into the Vajra which rolled onto the Borg Camlann.

Their pursuit was halted, the Chopper had now gain a good lead ahead. No longer able to catch up to the Chopper they pleaded to the God Eaters in the Chopper.

"Please stop!" Cried the Fallen Chi-You. But it was the Vajra's words that rand through their ears throughout the whole ride back to the Den.

"If you take her back to the Den they'll kill her! They'll kill her!"

*** Author's Note's ***

The song that Megumi sing's is a remake of Vocaloid Synchronicity 2/3


	17. Chapter 17

The road to hell is paved with good intentions.

The Secret is Out

The Den was greeted by a beat up First Unit that looked like they had been trampled by a stampede. Megumi looked the worse for wear with all her clothes missing. Only Soma's jacket covered her.

The jacket was oversize for her and acted more like a mini dress and the hood hung down as her hair fell down to the ground. The Den wondered how her hair suddenly grew beyond the acceptable hair length to touching the floor length in merely half a day.

All was fine in the Den when they first touched down into the Entrance. They got stares, mostly Soma since this was the first time the Den has seen him without his hood on. He got giggles and gasp at how handsome he was from the females.

"Lindow!" Tsubaki called out hastily making her way to them. Noticing how Lindow had to piggy back Alisa while Soma carried an unconscious Megumi. "What happened?"

"It was an ambush," Lindow answered. "New-Type Aragamis came out of nowhere and surrounded us. We were lucky to even make it out of there alive."

"Can you describe what they looked like?"

"Like a chick version of a Vajra, but ice cold." Kota jumped-in in Lindow's stead.

"A Prithvi Mata?" Tsubaki's eyes widened. "But those type of Aragami are only known to be around Northeastern Eurasia. What are they doing so far east?"

"Maybe this is a sign for things to come!" Kota pitched in.

"I hope not..." Sakuya worried about how much of Kota's words could possibly ring true.

"What happened to those two?" Tsubaki asked, looking from Alisa to Megumi.

"Forgive me..." Alisa spoke for herself. "I've been treated for mental health issues for some time now and I had a panic attack during the battle. But... I'm alright now. My only grief is that I endangered my team."

"I see..." Tsubaki responded back to her. Alisa flinched in fear at how Tsubaki would react to her confession. But Tsubaki gave her one of her rare warm smiles that melted away Alisa's fears. "As long as you're alright."

Alisa smiled back at her. The weight on her chest was lifting. Tsubaki then turned to the still unconscious Megumi.

"And what about her?"

"Well, she-" Before Lindow could answer, armed private soldiers of the Director busted into the Entrance. Screams went off as they surrounded the First unit with firearms pointed at them. However, the scope lasers were all pointed at Megumi.

"That will be all thank you, Tsubaki." Calmly said the Director as he entered the Floor. "You are hereby are arrested under the custody of the Fenrir's Far East Branch."

"Sir, what is the meaning of this?!" Tsubaki said in outrage that guns were being directed at one of her teams. "I fail to see the crimes they've committed to deserve such treatment."

"It's not them I'm after." He said before setting his on Megumi. "It's her."

"What do you want with her?" Sakuya said, slightly protective. "She's badly hurt."

"She's done nothing wrong." Soma stated as if closing the case.

"It's not what she's done," countered the Director. "It's what she is."

"And what exactly is she?"

"Oh don't fiend ignorant, Lindow. All incidents on the field Choppers are recorded and monitored in the section's Branch."

"!" He had heard and seen everything that went on during that Chopper run in the wasteland, the match was his.

"Now, I'm going to have to ask you to hand her over." The Director said, reaching a hand out to Soma. "She's far too dangerous to remain in the Den uncontained."

"Don't talk about her like she's an animal!" Soma sneered. "She can control herself just fine!"

"Are you really going to interfere?" The Director asked as if he was finding this hard to believe. "With the research on her we can possibly save humanity."

"Like hell I'm going to hand her over to you bastards of scientist to be a Lab rat!" Soma growled, pulling Megumi closer to him protectively.

"Soma... it appears you're quite fond of this girl." The Director concluded before shaking his head. "And that can only be seen as a foolish choice, my son."

"Shut up!" Soma shouted at him as Kota's eyes widened at the realization. "I've never though of you as my father! Leave Megumi alone!"

"I'm afraid not Soma." The Director brushed some stray hair from his face. "She's far too valuable to the science community and the Project to just 'leave her alone.' Take her."

With the order given out the soldiers closed in on them. With the others stress and tired they were subdued quickly. Soma put up more of a fight before some more soldiers came from behind to hold him back.

Successfully yanking Megumi from Soma's arms they pulled back. A sniff of a familiar scent made Megumi's eyes burst wide open.

"Is was you..." Her voice was soft yet carried venom. "That scent in the City of Mercy, it was you guys! You set us up, you bastards!" The Entrance when chaotic at the first sound of her voice.

She struggled in their arms, still drowsy from her resent burst. "Release me, you curs!" She kicked out of her captors arms and knocked down two more that tried to secure her arms. When the soldiers tried to come at her again, she whacked them away with her Hannibal tail that came from under Soma's coat, without giving the others a show the tail covered her butt.

"Sedate the specimen." The Director order.

"Specimen?! I have a name and it's-" Taking aim they fired at her. Megumi gasped as she was shot, it wasn't meant to cause much harm but it was doing something strange to her body.

She was losing consciousness again, her tail was already returning back into her body. No, she didn't feel safe here. She had to get away, find people that were safe.

"Soma..." She said, spotting him as her eyes wandered the room. On wobbly legs she made her way to him. One of her hands reached into his jacket pocket, pulling something out. Soma ripped out of the grip of his captor to catch her as she wobbly fell into his arms.

He held her until the sedation made its way through her blood system. Megumi slowly lifted her head to look up to him, she was so tired. "Don't leave me... okay?"

With the fight leaving her the soldiers pulled her away again. Megumi held on to Soma tile the last second. Their grip slid from around each other to their arms until it slid to just them holding hands. As their hands broke apart she dropped whatever she was holding into his.

"Don't go, no..." She reached out to Soma with the last of her strength before her hand fell limply down as sleep consumed her. With Megumi under submission the soldier just picked her up and put her on his shoulder like a sack of potatoes. The soldier turned to leave with her head and hair dangling down behind him.

"We'll be taking our leave now." The Director crossed his arms behind his back. "I'm so glad you all survived your ordeal."

"No, put her down!" Soma shouted, the fight returning to him as he struggled against his captors grip. "Get your hands off of her!"

"Sorry Soma, but this is for your own good." Said the Director, looking down at his son's struggle. "You'll thank me once this is over."

"Damn you to hell you bastard!" The Director didn't reply to the insult. Turning on his heels he left with the specimen. "DAMMIT!"

*** Dr. Sakaki's Lab ***

"Fascinating!" Dr. Sakaki exclaimed as he examined the samples from Megumi through a microscope. "These Oracle Cells are outside their necessary vessel and yet they're still alive!"

He then ran over to the potted plant in the corner of the room and used a single drop of the sample on it. The plant instantly became more vibrant and grew three times its size.

"These hyperactive Oracle Cells so far seem to have a permanent and a greater effect on a subject, specifically greenery, than a regular Oracle Burst! Amazing..."

Dr. Sakaki ran to his computer to type in some more data. "To think this all came from a single New-Type. I wonder what else lies in her DNA... what could she possibly be..."

His rambling was cut short as the members of the First unit bursting in.

"Whoa, the First unit all at once. To what do I owe the surprise?" Looking around the group he noticed that one was missing. "Where's Megumi?"

Soma's fist clinched and his teeth grinded at the Doc's question. "My S.O.B. of a father took her away."

"I see..." Dr. Sakaki grew serious at Soma's response. "So Johannes has finally made a move... But what are you doing here? Aren't you going to chase after them?"

"They locked us in our rooms until they were far enough away." Kota answered crestfallen. "We lost track of them."

"Doc do you still have one of those big screen Terminals?" Soma asked cutting through the doom and gloom in the room.

"Yeah, in the back room to the left. Why do you need it?" Soma was already pulling out the Terminal that would require the help of four men to move it. Soma was on a mission and Dr. Sakaki wanted to know what.

"Megumi left Soma a data disk before they took her away." Kota answered for Soma.

"What's on it?"

"Everything..." Was all Soma would say as he set up the Terminal to put in the disk.

"All right, we don't exactly know what's on this disk. So let's all agree that what we see on this disk stays in this room. Right, Doctor?" Sakuya suggested as they all turned to look at Dr. Sakaki.

"Of course I'll keep it a secret. I already have been keeping Megumi's, why not one more." Dr. Sakaki said to them with his fox grin.

"Good. Now that that's settled, Soma would you put in the disk?" Asked Lindow.

"Here it goes..." Alisa said, readying herself.

The disk played on the Terminal screen. Fuzz played for a while on the screen before they actually got something. The disk went back, back to the very beginning.


	18. Chapter 18

Forgetting pain is convenient. Remembering it, agonizing. But recovering the truth is worth the suffering.

- Alice: Madness Returns

Revealing the Past Part I

Shiyuri had on a hospital bed in a room private from the other patients. She rubbed her swollen belly through her hospital gown. She wore a warm smile as she looked upon it.

"And how is my Lovely feeling today?" Came the voice of Doragon. She looked up to the camera and pushed it to the side.

"Don't record this, I look awful." But he pulled the camera back.

"You look radiant." He said lovingly and a free hand went to cup her cheek. "I can see you glowing, it's celestial."

She smiled warmly back at him, cupping his hand in hers she carried it down to meet her other one on her belly. "Our baby. I can't wait for their birth." Then she looked up to Doragon and the camera with worry. "Do you think we'll be good parents?"

"With your gentle spirit you're bound to be a good mother. I'm the one who has to worry."

"(Sigh) Doragon."

"What if it's a boy? He'll go through that rebellious stage and will grow to hate me."

"You went through that phase and you and your father get along fine."

"Yeah... after 5 years of no communication until I joined the God Eaters."

"The last thing you and your father wanted was having hate between each other as a last memory of one another."

"Yes... I'm glad we did."

"Good."

"But what if it's a girl?"

"Doragon..."

"She'll be my little princess and sooner or later boys will be going after her. **Unworthy boys**, and she'll grow to hate me for chasing them off. I won't be her number one anymore."

"If its a girl she'll always be a Daddy's little girl no matter what you do. Besides, someday she'll grow up and start to like a boy. Someday she'll fall in love, all you can do is be there for her and pick up the pieces if things go wrong. Even if you're no longer number one in her eyes, you'll always be number one in my eyes."

"Our love is seen as a tragedy to others." You could hear the smile in his voice as her smile grew as well.

"Yet you are my remedy." Suddenly her face contorted. "Ah! Honey... it's time."

"What?! Now?!" The camera ran toward the door. "I'll go get a Doctor!"

The film stopped to return to fuzz just to returns to hours later. Shiyuri was huffing and puffing with sweat on her brow. Nurses and a Doctor surrounded her as she pushed and screamed.

"You're doing great Honey." Cheered on Doragon behind the camera.

"YOU DID THIS TO ME!"

"We did this Sweetie, together."

"Oh, go to hell!"

"C'mon Honey, push!"

"Shut up Doragon!"

"The baby's crowning Doctor." Said one of the Nurses. "You're doing wonderful Mrs. Sato, hang in there for just a bit longer."

"Ugh, I can feel its head coming!" Shiyuri then turned to the camera with blood shot eyes. "Doragon, if you don't turn off that camera I'm going to shove it down your throat!"

The camera turned off with the boys in the room feeling uncomfortable for watching that. And even though they refused to admit it, slightly frightened. The fuzz then turned back to the film an hour later. Shiyuri was covered in sweat and her hair was sticking to her. But her color had return and her breathing was calming down.

"Congratulation Mrs. and Mr. Sato." Said one of the Nurses handing Shiyuri her now cleaned off baby wrapped in a towel. "It's a girl."

Shiyuri held the baby to her chest as the little girl whimpered. Looking down at the baby her eyes watered up and she gently pressed her forehead to the baby's. "My baby..."

"She's beautiful Honey. You did good."

"We did good. Look she's got your hair."

The baby opened her eyes to see where all the commotion was coming from. The voices sounded familiar to her, like the voices she's been hearing for months.

"And apparently your eyes." Doragon commented.

"Dr. Sakaki said that the P53 Bias Factor from us shouldn't have any effect on her. She'll be a normal little girl." Tears of joy came from her eyes at that. "Our little Blessing."

"Blessing, huh. I kinda like that, should we call her Megumi?"

"Megumi? That's a good name." Shiyuri looked down at her little girl again as she continued to whimper in her arms. "Welcome to the world, Megumi."

The video turned off again, leaving the others confused. All heads turned to Dr. Sakaki.

"You knew those two?" Kota asked.

"Well not really, I looked after all the first time God Eaters. The couple came to me asking if their past injection would do anything to their baby."

"Did you ever keep in contact with them?" Lindow asked.

"No, after their little visit I never saw those two again. I don't even know what became of them."

Soma remained silent, contemplating the birth of his girlfriend. One year after his. How things would've been different if his was like hers. She was so small, so delicate and breakable, hard to imagine the strong girl she was now ever started this way.

"Quiet guys, it's starting up again." Sakuya hushed everyone.

Four months later inside the comfy home of the Sato's the newly parents watched over their daughter playing on top of the Kitchen table with Cheerios. Megumi was slightly bigger now and her head was fuller with short brown hair. Doragon wasn't holding the camera so it was more than likely on a tripod stand. Doragon's curly hair didn't even go pass his shoulders and his hair was a brown instead of the platinum that Soma and Lindow known him for.

"She's so cute." Shiyuri cooed at her daughter before turning to her husband. "When do you think she'll start speaking?"

"Beats me, I'm more worried about when she starts walking."

A knock came from off camera.

"I'll get it, watch over. Megumi will you Doragon?" Shiyuri asked as she left the room.

"She says it as if something bad is going to happen." He mocks in insult while behind him Megumi crawls off the table onto the Kitchen counter. "Don't worry so much Sweetheart! Megumi is in good hands!"

By the time he turned around Megumi had already used the storage jars to climb onto the wall shelf where they kept the cans and sharper objects in fear of Megumi reaching for them because it was shiny.

"No, no. Megumi." He ran after her. She giggled down at her father as she continued to crawl on the shelf. He had to jump back when the knives container came tumbling down. "Whoa!"

"Everything okay Dear?"

"Uh, yeah everything's fine!"

Megumi made it to the edge of the shelf when a screaking sound came from the shelf as it began to wobble. Ignoring his massive headache, Doragon ran to his daughter's aid. As the shelf came down he caught her. She delightfully giggled in her father's arms thinking of the whole thing as a game and wanted to go again.

"What's going on in there?!"

"Nothing Dear!" Doragon called out, placing his daughter back on the table as he went to pick up the hazards off the floor. "The shelf just fell off the wall! I've been meaning to fix that, I'll get on it later!"

"Is Megumi okay?!"

"She's fine, she's playing on the table!" He said, confirming his words by looking up to see her sitting like a frog. "Haha, that's pretty cute. It almost looks like you're gonna-"

But he was cut off when Megumi actually did leap off the table, like a frog, and onto the floor belly first. His eyes widened at what he just saw. The plop sound rang loudly through the house.

Shiyuri came running into the room to see the shocked look on her husband and her daughter on the floor. Looking up to her mother, Megumi started to cry. This child was trying to get him in trouble.

"What on Earth Doragon! I left you alone for five minutes! For five minutes!"

"She just... jumped." Was all Doragon could say to his defense. Even he was having a hand time contemplating what just happened. Megumi contained to lay on the floor crying. Reaching out her mother she whimpered.

"Mom...my"

"!" Both parents' eyes widened. Running to her little girl, Shiyuri picked her up with joy.

"Oh my poor baby." Then Shiyuri turned to Doragon. "Did you hear that? She said 'Mommy,' I was her first word! Oh I hope you got that on tape!"

Somehow his little girl had gotten into the Doghouse and back into the Castle in less than ten minutes. This little girl was going to keep him on his toes, Doragon could tell.

The video stopped and then returned again a few years later. Megumi was three years older and her hair was now pass her shoulder. She lied in her bed as her mother tucked her in.

"Alright, you got Panda-chan with you?" Her mother gently asked.

"Yup!" She answered, wiggling the plushie panda in the air before tucking it back in with her.

"Haha, all right. Then I think we're ready for bedtime."

"Wait, what about my lullaby?" Megumi pouted.

"Haha, of course, how could I forget." Shiyuri said playfully. She rubbed the top of her daughter's head as she began to sing.

"Float on to the painted sky

where dreams will be unified

As I slip inside

Where butterflies... never die

It's all the same for the dreamers

it's all the same... for us..."

"And how are my two favorite girls doing?!"

"Daddy!"

"I almost had her asleep until you showed up."

"Haha, always glad to help."

"Hey Daddy, guess what!"

"What?"

"Someday, I'll learn Mommy's song and sing it for her."

"I believe you will, but that's for another day."

"Go to sleep now, Dear." Her mother gently insisted. Kissing Megumi's forehead as she gently giggled at the touched. Shiyuri then walked over to Doragon. "Good night, Dear."

"Night princess."

"Goodnight." Megumi snuggled in until she remember something. "Oh, Mommy, Daddy."

"What is it princess?" Doragon answered.

"Could you guys not jump on the bed so loudly tonight. I find it hard to sleep."

The camera stiffened as Shiyuri's eyes widened. In surprise Doragon dropped the camera, where it landed on the off button.

"Hahaha! That was hilarious!" Kota burst out laughing.

"Only you would find something like this humorous." Alisa said in disapproval.

"Shh!" Soma quieted them as the film came on again. Megumi was now six and her hair touched down to her knees. She was kneeling in the family's flower garden, tending the lilies with her mother.

"You're doing a great job Megumi." Shiyuri praised her. "You're so gentle with them, like a natural Green-thumb."

"Just like Mommy!"

"Haha, yes. Just like me."

"They're so pretty Mommy. No wonder you were named after them." As they spoke a Graceful Black Butterfly flew onto the lily Megumi was attending. "Look Mommy!"

"Oh, a butterfly! It's rare to see them around nowadays. They're said to be going extinct."

Megumi leaned further down to the butterfly's level to serenate it.

"Float on to the painted sky

where dreams will be unified

As I slip inside

Where butterflies... never die."

"Aw, Sweetie. You learned the song!" Shiyuri cheered with pride.

"Uh ha, I've been practicing so I can sing it to you."

"Well I think it was lovely. I would love to hear it again!"

She was going to continue the song when a flustered Doragon ran in from the horizon. That caught the First unit off guard since they thought he was the one holding the camera. But fear for what was to come came over them all as they saw that he was holding his God Arc.

"Don't step on the flowers Daddy!" Megumi cutely ordered causing Doragon to subconsciously, even in his panic, go around the flowerbed.

"Honey, you've got to go!" Doragon huffed out. "The Borg Camlanns broke through the Sector's Wall! They're coming."

A shriek rang from the distance as the ground began to rumble.

"Crap! They're here already!" Doragon got into a fighting stance in front of his family. "I'll hold them off. Take Megumi with you and run!"

"But-" The rumbles grew louder.

"Get out of here Shiyuri!" He ordered behind himself to her. Accepting the seriousness of the situation. Shiyuri picked up her daughter along with her pistol God Arc that apparently was lying off camera. With the two in hand she ran off.

"Wait, don't forget about Big Eyes." Megumi said grabbing the camera from over her mother's shoulder before she ran off. She knocked over the tripod stand during the process. As Shiyuri ran off the camera focused on Doragon facing off against four Borg Camlann before he disappeared behind the trees and shrubs of the forest Shiyuri was running in to.

"Mommy, what are those things? Where are we going?" Megumi began to worry.

"We have to go Megumi!"

"What about Daddy?" As Megumi looked toward her mother the camera did too giving everyone a good view of her fear.

"He's... He'll catch up with us later Sweetie." Feeling that she was deep enough in the forest Shiyuri ran to the nearest hallow tree. Checking to make sure it was empty she then lowered a camera carry Megumi inside the hallow tree. "I'm going back to help Daddy. Be a good girl and hide here okay."

"Mommy... are you crying?"

Realizing that her daughter was right she wiped her eyes. "It's nothing dear, Mommy's fine. Just stay here okay." Placing a kiss on her forehead, she held her tiny hand. "Mommy loves you. Remember that, remember that for me."

"Mommy?" Shiyuri ignored her daughter's pleading call as she held up her God Arc to run to her husband's aid. "Mommy?! Don't go, NO!"

_"Don't go, no..." She reached out to Soma with the last of her strength before her hand fell limply down as sleep consumed her. _

The memory rang through Soma find like an echo. To think that wasn't the first time she pleaded for another to reach out to her. It was amazing how three little words could be so haunting.

She tried to get out but the hole out was too high up. It took her multiple tries until her tiny arms reached the hole and pulled herself out of the tree along with the camera.

Following the trail back she tried to catch up with her mother. Hearing a terrifying shriek she hid under the cover of a bush as she looked out to what no child should have to see.

The form was destroyed as the pointy legs of the Borg Camlanns crushed their fields. One lied dead, upturned. While Doragon faced off two. Another one tried to sneak in on him from behind.

"Doragon!" Shiyuri cried out, firing at the Borg Camlann behind him until it dropped dead.

"I told you to run!" Doragon shouted out to her with anger and fear.

"And leave you alone to fight for yourself. Never!" She began to fire at the other two Borg Camlann.

All seemed to be going well until one of the Borg Camlann grabbed Doragon by the ankle and hung him upside down with its tail. Doragon struggled to get out of its grasp but to no avail. The Borg Camlann held him over its mouth and swallowed him whole.

"Daddy..." Megumi whimpered, dropping the camera which turned the video to sideways view.

"DORAGON!" Shiyuri cried out in despair. The Aragami that had eaten him began to choke out and ran from the battle. It had taken her husband and ran. Shiyuri began to cry as she fired with wild abandonment. "DAMN YOU! YOU KILL MY HUSBAND!"

She fired relentlessly but the remaining Borg Camlann still charged at her. Using its claw dagger it sliced through her. Cutting off her head, upper left arm, and left wrist as her body fell back. As her head fell off in the air her expression took on one of piece as her eyes closed. Her blood oozed out like a river.

Leaving the camera behind Megumi crawled over to her mother's mutilated body.

"Mommy... Mommy." This drew the attention of the Borg Camlann. "Get up, Mommy. Please... Get up! Please..."

Grabbing the head of her mother she paid no mind to the Borg Camlann that was coming at her with its dagger claws.

"No! Mommy!" The Borg Camlann went in to pierce her. "Mommy!"

Just before the Borg Camlann could reach her something came crashing down on it from above. Crushing it to the ground on impact. Megumi held her mother's head protectively closer at the possible new threat. She looked up to see that it was a man. He wore clothes like black leather with straps with buckles added on to the pants for design. The black near knee boots were covered with the Aragami's blood which matched the crimson coat he wore. The coat had a tail-end that only covered his left side as two loose belts gave the coat a Gothic look. Passed its long sleeves came white gloves that covered his hands. The turtle neck of the was loosely buttoned up to reveal the front of his neck.

His long raven hair blew in the wind as his face twisted into deranged joy at his kill. A wide grin revealed his white teeth and his crimson eyes flowed as his black scarf ends touched the Aragami. But as Megumi looked closer at the man she saw that his eyes were like an Aragami's and his scarf wasn't wrapped around his neck but was coming from his back. It didn't look like it was made from any fabric she knew of... it looked like hair strands and tar.

As if proving her point mouths of sharp teeth, accompanied by two sets of red eyes, came from the scarfs ends and devoured the Aragami below them. This was no man... this was a human-like Aragami.

He laughed hysterically as he diffusely devoured the Aragami. The snapping of a twig under Megumi drew his crimson eyes to her. Silence took over the land as these two creatures of predator and prey stared at each other with curiosity and fascination, eye to eye. Showing no fear Megumi shielded her mother's head, the tears still leaked from her eyes.

**"Another child destroyed by Chaos and soon destined to die alone."**

"..."

**"Do you not fear me child?" **To add on to his point the mouths on his scarf barked at her, blood still dripping from their teeth.

"You have never hurt me, so I don't know if I should..."

**"You're weak."**

"!"

**"The strong prey upon the weak ones like you like a Siren beckoning to them. Lucky for you I'm not one of the mindless."**

"If you're so strong... can you save my Mommy?" Megumi said as she cried out.

**"No. I am not God, child. I cannot bring back what is already dead." **Megumi began to cry louder at the news. **"Do you desire pity child? Pity is for the Weak and the Foolish. Right now you are weak, but you're not foolish."**

Megumi looked back up to him, there was a fire in her eyes as her crying came to a halt. The child may appear to be weak but the man saw the potential of something greater within her. He like the sparkle in her eyes.

She showed no fear as her eyes followed the eyes of his tar-scarf as they circled around her. They seemed pleased at what they saw.

**"Hmm, it appears that I've grown quite fond of you child, so I'll give you a choice. Join me and accept my gift and survive or stay here and die, the choice is yours. In the end misfortune shall be your companion."**

"Megumi..."

**"What's that?"**

"My name is Megumi." She said sternly standing her ground. "And bad things only happen to people who let them happen. Bad is what you make it to be."

**"Haha!" **In the blink of an eye he was in front of her. Grabbing her throat he lifted her up in the air as she struggled in his grip. **"That's it, I love you child! Such fire, such intelligence for a human child. What a pity it would be to waste you on the humans. I changed my mind I'll give you my gift anyway."**

"AHHH!" She cried out as a dark light came from his hand and went into her throat. Her mouth was open wide in pain as the man's grin widened.

**"Your name is Megumi. A fitting name." **Her left chest began to set aflame, burning off most of the dress on her left chest up to her shoulder. **"I am Azriel, you may now know me as Father. Rejoice, for you have been reborn this day as one of my children. Such a lovely voice you have, but you'll never be able to use it around the humans. All the better though, the humans wouldn't appreciate it."**

Once the light had been sucked into her a Gothic tattoo of the number **1** was imprinted on her chest. As she whimpered and shook he released her were she plopped onto the floor.

**"Your siblings have sensed your birth. One of your brothers will be here to pick you up." **And like that he left her there. **"Enjoy my gift to you."**

Shakily getting up on her knees she picked up her mother's head again. Her eyes watered as she began to sing.

"Multiply humanity,

harmonize

insanity, shedding light of remedy

Holding tides of

clarity, shattered glass

in flower beds,

Humanize inhumane ends

It's all the same for the dreamers,

it's all the same for us.

Restful mind and peaceful eyes,

When sound is gone then

you will find!

It's all the same for the dreamers,

it's all the same...

for us... for us...!"

She placed her forehead onto her mother's as the tears flowed freely. She continued on.

"Float on to the painted sky,

where dreams will be unified

as I slipped inside!

Float on to the painted sky

where we will be unified

as I stand inside!

Where butterflies...

never die...!

Will never die!

Where butterflies..."

She cried some more until she went silent. She pulled away from her mother's head. Her eyes lost that innocent luster as grief and lost glazed them over like ten years of aging.

"You were too beautiful for this ugly world anyway..." Gathering the pieces of her mother, Megumi carried her in her arms like she was nothing. A few minutes ago this girl was struggling to get out of a tree was now carrying her mother as if she was as light as a feather.

Looking to the camera, remembering it was there she walked over to pick it up. It gave a good view of her feet as she walked. Once reaching her destination she placed the camera on a tree. She was on top of a hill that overlooked her house.

Gently placing down her mother she went into her house to gather things. Coming back she carried leather thread, a strong leather needle, nails, a hammer, a pillow, and a blanket. The First unit watched as a 6 year old girl with hallow eyes sowed her mother back together. The sight was horrifying and tragic at the same time. Surprisingly the white sleeveless dress she was wearing was unstained.

Once her mother was in one piece she ran down the hill toward one of the forest trees. With her tiny hand she mauled down the tree like it was made of butter and carried it back to the hill.

Without fully understanding her new powers or caring she caused blades to emerge from her wrists and started carving out parts for a coffin. Using the nails she put the pieces together. Hammering every nail in all the while she didn't care less about hitting her finger every once in a while. Once the work and the splinters were done and out she covered the inside with the blanket and the pillow.

Gently picking up her mother and placing her inside she closed the lid. Getting on her knees she pulled the blades back into her wrists and began to dig into the ground with her hands. While she dug, Axel came from the woods. He looked 11 years younger, he was most likely about 12 years old. Once spotting her he walked up to her.

"So you're the new one?" Axel said, looking down at her as she continued to dig. "To be honest, I'm kinda surprised to get someone so small let alone another sister. Azriel so far has only been adopting males."

"..."

"Sorry, I guess you were taught not to talk to strangers." He said rubbing the back of his head. "I'm Axel and if you must know I'm your older brother."

"..."

"I'm here to take you somewhere you'll be safe and among your own kind."

"Do you mind?"

"What?"

"If you don't mind I'm trying to bury my Mom. So either help me or be still for a second."

"..." Axel was silenced by the boldness of this little girl. Not only did she tell him to wait but was also burying her mother with her bare hands. "You know a shovel will work better."

"It loses meaning if I don't do it with my own hands." She was surprisingly making good pace. By the time she was 6 feet down Axel worried she wouldn't be able to get back out. But she easily jumped out and slowly slid the coffin into the hole. She was struggling to get it in without dropping it, the edge slipped from her fingers until Axel grabbed it for her.

"Here, let me help." Working together they got the coffin in without a hench. Before covering the hole Megumi threw in a single lily.

"Goodbye... Mom." As she pushed the dirt back in she contemplated what was going to happen to her now. Her parents were dead, who would take care of her? Her home no longer felt like home, now that she was alone.

"Hey... can we talk?" Axel asked, interrupting her melancholy. Going to the tree she grabbed her camera.

"This way," she said walking to her house. "Follow me."

Giving in to her innocent demand he followed her. For some reason he felt compelled to follow her orders. But this was shameful, he was following orders from a 6 year old.

"Your name's Axel, my name's Megumi. You're here claiming to be my brother, right?"

"Yeah." Axel said as she held the door open for him. She walked ahead of him to lead him to the Kitchen.

"I find that hard to believe since Mom and Dad never talked about you." He took a set at the table, pouring him a drink she served him milk.

"We're not related by human parents but Aragami parent. We share the same father, Azriel."

"... That man is not my father."

"Yes he is. You are reborn. And believe it or not you're no longer human." Megumi went quiet as she looked at her cup of milk. "You can feel it can't you, the power flowing throw your veins. You're processing things at a much faster rate now, a mere 6 year child would never have had the ability to make a coffin. You have been numbered as one of Azriel's children, just like me.."

Unzipping his trench coat, with no ill intent, he revealed the Gothic **9 **tattoo on his left chest.

"You have one too." Megumi said, looking up at it. "Why did he put it there?"

"When we are reborn. Azriel places some of his power inside our bodies to make us just like him. The number symbolizes the amount of power given to you... and favoritism. The lower the number the stronger you are."

"Then... he must really like me a lot."

"What do you mean?" Revealing the burnt part of her clothes that she had hidden behind her hair she revealed her number. "**1**!"

"Is that a bad thing?"

"No, but it does explain a lot. You may be my little sister, but by number you are my King."

"I'm no King, Mr. Axel. I'm just a little girl who just lost her parents."

"You may have lost your human family, but now you have gained an even bigger family. Come see your new brothers and sister."

"I just got done burying my Mom. I'm not looking to replace them with another family. Thanks for the offer, but I don't feel like going with anyone right now."

"I know you're hurting right now, but you can't stay here. You don't even know how your body works right now. This house will feel empty to you now that what you loved about it is gone. You need someone to guide you and help you reach the full potential of your new abilities. And at these times the last thing you need is to be left alone. Kid... you need us more than ever."

"... I want to pack." Axel smiled at getting her able to comply.

"Fair enough."

"I also want you to buy a tomb for Mom's grave."

"Fine, but I'll need her name and age."

"Shiyuri Sato, she was 28 years old."

"Anything else you'd wish to write on it."

"... She flew to the painted sky where butterflies never die."

"... Okay... Are there anymore demands you wish to make."

"No... that's it..."

"Alright, pack your things. I'm taking you to your new home." Finishing up his milk he wiped away his milk mustache. "Welcome to the family, kid."

*** Author's Note ***

The song that is song throughout this chapter is "Where Butterflies Never Die," by Broken Iris. However, for this chapter the Nightcore version is more appropriate.


	19. Chapter 19

Heads up to my readers, the flashback will be 4 chapters long and the story is going to be 26 chapters long. See, I said that this story wouldn't be as long as beast. But it's last few chapters are going to be really long, so make your self a bowl of cereal and make some time in your schedule. The only thing that will slow me down from completing this story now is if my internet crashes and how fast I can type.

Revealing the Past Part II

The place was a castle hidden in the ruins of the old city, blending in with the earthquake rampaged land and the hanging building along the open earth's cliff sides.

"Your home seems nice, but a little on the haunted side."

"Wait until you see the inside, you wouldn't believe it." Axel picked Megumi up and held her like a football. "Hold on tight."

Jumping off the cliff in a daredevil attempt to make it to the castle on the other side, he miraculously succeeded. Megumi tightly held her luggage and Panda-chan through the whole ride.

"There. That wasn't so bad, was it?"

"It was kinda fun actually."

"Good." Axel said putting her down. "Well, let's go meet your new family."

Opening the doors the castle turned a 180. The place was a sterile white and a neat freak's fantasy. Hard to believe this was the same place as the chaotic environment outside.

"You were right. How could I have ever doubted you."

"Heh, make sure you remember that in the future."

"You seek answers." Spoke Xemnas who was waiting for them at the end of the hallway. He was addressing the little girl who was now hiding behind Axel, holding her panda plushie like a security blanket. "What is your name?"

Hesitantly popping her head out from behind Axel, Megumi gave the new figure a chance. Something about him made her feel safe, as if he would never harm her. Slowly she came out from behind Axel to properly address Xemnas.

"Megumi..."

"Blessing, what a lovely name. It is something you can carry with you to your new life."

"Xemnas, her number."

"I know Axel," Xemnas said then looked back down to Megumi. "I am your older brother, Xemnas, and number **2 **in our family count."

"Must be a big family..."

"We are," Xemnas moved out of the way of the big doors. "Come. It is time that you met your siblings."

Opening the doors she saw that it was a circular room with fourteen thrones, one throne would be taller than the next, but they were all pretty high. Ten of her siblings, in their catch-phrase leather trench coats, looked down at her and began to mumble. Xemnas took his place at the second tallest throne while Axel took his place at the ninth. Megumi was amazed at how easily they jumped up into their thrones.

"Good tidings, friends." Xemnas said, silencing the murmurs in the room. "Today is a momentous day. I am pleased to announce that a new comrade has been chosen to water the coat... Number **1**. Let us all welcome one of Azriel's chosen, our little sister, Megumi."

Megumi looked around to see all their eyes on her, she would occasionally here things like 'Really?' and 'That ankle bitter.' All the attention made her clinch Panda-chan tighter in nervousness. Out of all the new faces looking at her, her eyes were drawn to the welcoming grin of Xemnas.

"Welcome to the family, little one." Xemnas said, welcoming her. "I will look after you until you're ready to go out with the others. Axel, once she is ready you will accompany her for her first mission."

"When did I become the family's babysitter?"

"Cause you make a great Mother hen."

"Oh, bite me Xigbar."

"Because out of all of us you seem to be better with children." Xemnas answered.

"Oh boy... fine, whatever."

"Good. Now that that's out of the way, Saix, escort our little sister to her room. We will begin your training tomorrow Megumi."

In a flash, with the exception of Saix, they all disappeared. Being alone with a new face frightened her. As Saix came down to approach her she held Panda-chan tighter.

"Megumi, as Xemnas said before, I am Saix. Aside from being your older brother I am No. **8**. When you're done with your training I will be the one to issue out missions, which as a family we all are expected to carry out."

"Missions?"

"With our new powers and forms come responsibilities. It's our job to take out the rampant Aragami in the area and to purify the land. Although you are technically stronger than all of us your early missions will be more of an exercise to coast you into your new life style."

"Purify?"

"'That' we will get into with you another time. For now..." He stopped in front of a door, opening it he waited for her to walk in. "You should rest. This will be your room. Decorate it as you wish."

"..."

"Is something wrong?"

"Aren't you going to read me a bed time story?"

"... My time cannot be used for such tedious things like a bed time story."

"No lullabies?"

"I don't sing..."

"(Sigh)... I was afraid of that..." Megumi sadly said, lowering her head.

"Get some sleep Megumi." Closing the door behind himself he left Megumi alone in her room. Unlike the hallways and the thrones room the inside rooms had a color scheme of blue, gray, and black.

"Home..." Megumi said with melancholy as she put down her things on the bed. "This place sure doesn't feel like a home."

Reaching out for the camera she turned of the video, it turned back on to the next day. Megumi and Xemnas were in what seemed to be a training room with a window that looked out at the wasteland and a color scheme similar to her room.

"Alright little one, training begins now." Xemnas said, crossing his arms. "However, before we start anything, let's see what you can do."

Without further a due she brought out the blades from her wrist.

"Hm, I see you've found your personal weapon. But that's not your true potential."

"True potential?" Placing his hand out Xemnas summoned energy into his hand to form a sphere. Gripping the sphere it elongated into a laser saber which he did the same with his other hand. "!"

"Fight me." Rushing her he gave little to no time to do anything but block. He was relentless, tossing her around like a rag doll and shooting laser sabers at her. "Pathetic, where is your fighting spirit?"

"But I'm only six?" He knocked her to the ground as he pushed on her block.

"Did the Aragami take that into account when it killed your parents?"

"!"

"Did you think 'If only I was older than I could've done something to save them'?"

"... stop it."

"The Aragami don't discriminate age. Your parents learned that the hard way and you will too if you don't get up and fight."

"Stop it!" Megumi cried out smashing her fist into the ground. A rumble rang through the castle as a crater formed from her punch. Her blades set a flamed during the whole thing. She stared down at her hands in wonder.

"Hm, good. You have the power in you it just takes some work to pull it out."

"You didn't mean it."

"What?" Xemnas then realized that she was crying.

"Tell me you didn't mean it." Sighing he knelled down to her level to pat her head.

"No... I didn't mean to hurt you. I only wished to help unleash your potential. I guess I went too far..."

She sniffled before wiping away her tears. "You said something about unleashing."

"Yes. Tell me Megumi, do you feel anything different about yourself?"

"Well... I have a tingling sensation in my throat."

"Good, the things causing that feeling are called Oracle Cells. They flow through our body, giving us power. Does it feel like they're being held back, like a door perhaps?"

"Now that you mention it, yeah it does."

"Listen well child. In all of us in an area that acts as the housing for our Oracle Cells. A place where we can lock them in or let them loose. When they're locked in it's like bottled energy, but once they're let out it's a burst of power. For you it seems that your housing is inside your throat. Now... I want you to unlock the door. Release them."

"Okay... " Following Xemnas's instructions she let loose. The crawling sensation seemed to spread through her body, sending little shocks throughout her body. Her temperature began to rise, she felt like she was on fire. "What's happening to me?"

"Don't fight it. Let it go..."

"Ugh." She crunched up, holding her stomach as smoke came out of her body. With a shout she set aflame, her clothes were disintegrated, but her body was on fire so no one would notice her exposure.

"Amazing, another fire element like Axel..." Xemnas thought aloud. "Keep going Megumi. Let it flow until it fully settles in."

"Ah!" She cried out as horns shot out from her forehead. She looked down to see that her arms were growing scales and claws grew from her fingernails. Below the same happened to her legs and feet. A tail shot out from her tailbone and she began to grow in mass.

"Ah! It feels like I'm being torn apart, piece by piece!"

"I've never seen an Aragami like this before. Perhaps this is a new breed of Stronger Predator."

"Ugh Ahh!" Megumi groaned out into a scream one final time as the full transformation into a Hannibal was completed. She was smaller then the form the First unit had seen, but still massive in size. On her hands and knees she gathered her breath, her tail lazily swished and swayed around the floor.

"Remarklable, so this is the form of our king."

"What... happened to me?"

"Like all your brothers and sister you can transform into an Aragami as you wish. Each of us can turn into an Aragami, giving us a burst of power and defense."

"Ara... gami?"

"The things that attacked your home. For now think of them as giant rampaging beasts."

"You mean we can change into different ones?"

"No, we only get one Aragami we can change into and it'll adapt to our biological unique element ability."

"Why am I so hungry all of a sudden? I could really use something to eat right now."

"That is the urge to devour coming from your Aragami form. You'll have to learn to contain those urges later on, or else they'll consume you. For now, we'll feed you real meals until you're ready to go on the field. Change back, I'll take you to the Kitchen."

"H-how? I don't know how?"

"Relax. All you have to do in picture your human form in your mind and your body will do the rest. You could even transform back halfway if you so wished. Now breath, take your time."

Calming herself, Megumi closed her eyes. Slowly she felt herself shrink and her extras returned into her body. She turned back to her normal self. Xemnas instantly covered her with her own black coat when she changed back.

"These coats are Oracle Cell enhanced clothes that will transform with you when you change. You'll need to wear these when you wish to go Aragami so you don't lose any clothes."

"Wow, just like everyone else..." She said admiring the coat.

"Yes." Xemnas then placed a hand on her to lead her out. "Now come along, let's get you something to eat. There's work to be done, so once you're done eating we will continue your training. You're a New Type Aragami with unknown abilities, so we have a long way to go."

"Xemnas."

"What is it?"

"How come you didn't transform too?"

"Because my Aragami would've destroyed the castle."

The screen fuzzed up to return to a later time with Megumi, Axel, and Saix.

"Megumi, after a week of training with Xemnas, your work begins today. I will issue missions for you now which you are expected to complete." Saix nonchalantly said to her.

"So... I'll get to go outside again?"

"Yes. Although since this is your first time you will be chaperoned on this mission. But understand that in the future most of your missions will be teamed base instead of solo."

"O-okay."

"For your first mission Axel will be joining you to show you how things are done." Saix turned to Axel who was leaning, arms crossed, on the castle's windows inside the Living room. "Isn't that right, Axel?"

"Now I'm the kids mentor?"

"Surely you don't mind showing Megumi the ropes? Teach her well, Axel." Saix lastly ordered before leaving the two alone.

"Don't worry. I'll make sure she makes the grade." Axel finger saluted to Saix then turned to Megumi. "Well, you heard the man. Starting today, I'm your babysitter."

"... I'll try not to cause any trouble."

"Sheesh... Wipe that sad look off your face, I ain't gonna bite. Now let's get this show on the road."

The video fuzzed off only to return a couple hours later with the tow of them walking in the wasteland.

"Jeez, did you have to bring the camera with you... and what is that thing it's flying on?"

"I want to remember."

"Mmm?"

"I want to be able to look back and remember who I am and where I've come from. This is, in a way, my only legacy."

"Whoa... that's a little deep for a six year old."

"The mini Chopper is solar powered and follows a set target so I don't have to carry it."

"That's more like it. All right, let's start by talking about what we do on missions. Ahem, missions are... uh... They're, you know... Hrm."

"?" Megumi tilted her head as Axel scratched his head for the thought.

"Oh! I got it! Missions are... our noble attempt of saving the world."

"..."

"We exterminate the Aragami and purify the land."

"But if we're Aragami then why do we exterminate our own?"

"(Sigh)... Look, kid... as much as I hate to tell you this. It's a dog-eat-dog world. We devour other Aragami to survive... it's one of the only ways to contain our Aragami cravings. And if we don't do this those Aragami are going to continue destroying the world. Countless people would be killed if we stopped doing these missions. Understand?"

"I understand... but what do you mean by purifying?'

"Ugh! You know what? Talking is dumb. Let's just go ahead and get our hands dirty, shall we?" Axel looked around until he spotted a lone Ogretail walking the wasteland sands. "There! That's your first target. I want you to exterminate it."

"How do I do that?"

"I don't know. Change into an Aragami, pull out your blades, be creative!"

Rushing at the Aragami she transformed mid-rush to slice it open with her clawed hands, killing it with one blow. This was the first time she had killed anything before and it stung at her heart. She was terrified at having to take a life, no matter how monstrous, but what truly terrified her was the fact she liked it.

"Good job! Never thought you had it in you. That was hard core." Axel praised her while moderately clapping his hands.

"What do I do now?" She asked still in Hannibal form.

"Well," Axel got down on one knee beside the Ogretail. To Megumi's disgust he ripped the Ogretail open to reveal its core. "See that? I want you to eat it."

"What? Ew, that's repulsive."

"Look, you're an Aragami now. This will be a daily bases for you so get use to it. You can technically eat the whole thing for all I care, just as long as you devour its core. With the core gone it can't regenerate."

With displeasure Megumi began to eat the Ogretail. But once she took the first bite a way of taste and delight coursed through her, causing her to ravishingly devour the whole Ogretail.

"Whoa, easy there kid! No one's going to steal away your snack."

Savoring in the afterglow of her meal she wagged her tail happily. But then came a burning pain in her stomach. In shock she changed back into a human and clinched her stomach.

"What's happening? What did you make me eat?" She panicked as glowing lines appeared on her body. The light started to concentrate at her throat, along with the pain.

"You are about to experience a burst. Once you devour an Aragami's core you began to experience a rush of memories. Yours, the Aragami's, and the lives of the Aragami's living meals."

"Ugh!" Crunching up, Megumi shot open as a burst of light came from her body. "Ah!"

She breathed heavily for a while, her hands clenching onto her knees. "What was... that?"

"Your body burst out the Oracle Cells of the Aragami you devoured. Returning back to the earth what the Aragami has greedily stolen." Axel said, pointing out the plants that grew in a circle around her.

"I did that?"

"The size of the burst depends on how strong the Aragami is and how many cores you've devoured."

"So by taking life I have returned life..." She went down on her knees to gently touch the flower grown around grass from the burst. "This is... incredible. We have the power to help save this world."

"Well, I think that's about it for today." Axel said, gaining her attention again. Stretching his arms before he spoke again. "C'mon, I'll treat you to ice-cream for doing a good job."

The video ended only to start again on a later day. Megumi was standing in what was dubbed the Living room with Saix and Marluxia.

"I've been told by Axel that you did well on your first missions. I am pleased to hear that." Saix said to her. "But it's time to take things up a notch. Today you will be working with Marluxia. He's one of your many older brothers and No. **12**. Try to get along."

"So I'm working with the castle's little bud today. Hm, welcome to the fold, No. **1**."

Again turning off the video returned hours later back on. The two were on the edge of the wasteland, where there was no sand. Only dry dirt graced their feet.

"Megumi, was it? Today your job is to collect cores."

"More than one?"

"Yes, it's about time we build up your stamina so your body can handle massive amounts of cores without collapsing."

"Collapsing?!"

"There is only so many memories our mind can take. If we over exert ourselves we can risk being consumed by darkness as madness tears apart our minds."

"... On second thought, I don't feel like doing this mission."

"Relax, that's what this training is for. Building up your body's endurance will help decrease the likely hood of over exerting." Marluxia said to sooth her. A roar could be heard coming from the distance as energy gathered in Marluxia's hand to create rose petals which gave rise to a scythe. "Each of us can form a weapon in human form from our Oracle Cells that represents our genetic essence. I've been told you've already found yours, we'll be using that today."

Floating in from the horizon came a herd of Zygotes, heading right at them.

"Now let's begin..." With his scythe, Marluxia sliced through them like an angel of death. It was like a sophisticated complex dance as petals flew off from the scythe with each swing. While Megumi on the other hand lacked the grace as she wildly swung her burning blades. But the job was getting done. "Good. Now make sure you devour the cores."

"But I'm a human now."

"You can still eat them." Marluxia said, plopping one of the cores in his mouth as if he was eating a giant grape. Horror shot through Megumi as he swallowed the core without even chewing. It went down his throat like a giant lump and yet he showed no signs of pain. "It is in your nature now."

Following suit she realized that it went down easier than it looked like it was. And yet again, devouring the core excited her and made her long to eat more. They continued until the last Zygote, Aragami corpses were left in their path.

"Ugh." And like she expected the glowing lines and the pain returned, only this time much worse.

"Don't worry." Marluxia began to assure her, his face only showing slight signs of pain. "You'll get use to this with time."

"Ugh ah!" The burst was stronger, the radius of the growing plants circle was larger. Marluxia stood further from Megumi so that their burst barely lapped. Where the circles did meet trees formed.

"You did good, little bud." Marluxia praised. "With time you'll be able to purify a larger range of land."

The video stopped to return back to the castle Living room day's later.

"Good morning Megumi." Zexion said, calling out to Megumi as she entered the room. "I shall be joining you on your mission today."

"Where's Saix?"

"He had errands to take care of. You best get ready, we're heading out."

The video cut off to return at the desert wasteland again.

"Your mission today is to improve your stamina by eliminating a set quantity of Aragami. There will come a time when you are to meet other objectives- perform recon, for example. But regardless of the task you have been given, your primary orders still hold."

"To eliminate the Aragami in the area?"

"Correct. Today, however, the two happily coincide." Megumi then tugged on his coat sleeve. "Is something wrong?"

"Your name... I never got it."

"Heh," focusing energy into his hand Zexion conjured up a book. "No. **7**, Zexion, your older brother."

"Nice to meet you... big brother."

"Like wise. Now lets get this mission out of the way." They ran along until they found three Zygotes and a Ogretail roaming the sands together. "There's the objective, take them down."

Whacking the Ogretail to the ground with his book Zexion transformed into a Vajratail and began to shoot needles at the Zygotes from his tail. Following his lead, Megumi transformed into a Hannibal smashing the Ogretail and a Zygote with her bare hands.

"All done. I defeated the number of Aragami you said." Megumi said as they changed back into humans.

"Well done, now devour the Ogretail's core for me. I'll devour the others."

"Can't you eat the Ogretail's core yourself?"

"My Predatorial Factor will not allow me to eat a species of Aragami similar to my own." Zexion explained to her. "This is a situation when you'll need a sibling with a different Aragami to devour the core for you and vice versa."

"I see..." Devouring the cores and experiencing a lite burst they steadied themselves.

"Now we go back to the castle, right?"

"Leave, already? I for one would apply myself a bit more."

"But I-"

"Yes, yes, you did as you were asked. But... as you can most likely sense, there are still Aragami in the area. The more we exterminate, the more lives we save. You don't have to eliminate them all. It's your choice." Zexion was trying to coast her into it. "Just like I don't have to respect you for slinking back to the castle while there's still work to be done. And if it doesn't matter to you just remember the deed is rewarding."

"... I understand, big brother. I'll do my part."

"Hm, good. I trust you'll exhibit equal diligence in your future missions."

"Yes," she answered. Using her senses she tracked down the remaining Ogretails that appeared to be on the edge of a ruin city. Zexion was pleased at this as Megumi completed her burst.

"All right, now that the mission is over, do you have any questions?"

"Yeah, um... what exactly are we? We're not fully Aragami..."

"Yes... ?"

"And we're not fully human. If we're not one or the other then what are we? Why do we eat all these cores?"

"Devouring Aragami completes us. That is our never ending goal."

"Complete us how?"

"Megumi, you and I are being that have been touched by the hands of a superior Aragami, Azriel. Bounded by his Oracle Cells we are siblings. We are what we call Children of Misfortune."

"Well, that's not very nice."

"Call it what you want, but in the end we are neither human or Aragami. We're trapped in the middle as a Purgatory."

"But that's..."

"All we can do now is fight to survive and make the best of it."

"No, there's got to be more to our lives then this!"

A shriek could be heard coming from the distance. Running toward them, a flock of three Chi-Yous came at them. They seem to be more drawn to Megumi than Zexion.

"Damn... you're not ready to face off Aragami of this strength." Zexion changed back into a Vajratail. "I'll hold them off, retreat!"

"But what about you?!" Her concern somehow out weighed her fear.

"You're my King and my younger sister. It's my job to protect you." He shot lightning and needles at them for a while. But relied more on strategy and intelligence than strength when it came to fights, and right now his strength was running out.

Having enough of his pushing back one of the Chi-You shot a fireball at him. The blast knocked him down and he was having a hard time getting up.

"Brother!" He was in trouble, the Chi-Yous were closing in on him for a feast. Without thinking she picked up a rock and threw at one of their heads. "Leave him alone."

Drawing the attention of all, and the agitation of one, they began to choice after her as if lured by her voice.

"Ah!" Megumi screamed as the came running toward her.

"Run Megumi!" Regaining the use of her legs she ran. Ducking under building remains and steel bars as the Chi-Yous punched at her. She was terrified, her heart was beating ecstatically. "Help! Anybody!"

The call echoed unanswered through the ruin city as she continued to run. Her eyes began to water, so this was it then. Was she going to die alone in this rumble of a city.

Just when she though all hope was lost she spotted a hole between the rumble that was just big enough for her to fit. Grabbing the camera she picked up the pace and jumped in. Silencing her breathing in hopes for the Chi-Yous to just pass her by, she waited. The inside of the hole was slightly more spacious than the opening so she didn't feel cramped.

There was nothing, they must have left. Just when she thought she was safe the face of one of the Chi-You peeked into the hole and shrieked at her. Reaching in with one of its wing arms it tried to claw at her as the others shrieked behind it.

"Ah!" She cried out, pushing back against the wall of rumble as far as she could. Barely getting out of the reach of the Chi-You. But it was persistent, it kept clawing and wiggling, slowly making its way end. "Get back, I don't like you, please go!"

It continued making its way in when the shrieks of the other Chi-Yous got louder than vanished. Soon the Chi-You found itself being dragged out. A crunching sound could be heard from outside, Megumi covered her ears trying to block out the horrible sound.

Suddenly the head of a New-Type Vajra, which Soma found out was a Dyaus Pita, with a cross scar on its nose popped up from the hole opening. It reached in with its clawed paw.

"Ah!" Megumi screamed again. Crunching up into a ball she closed her eyes and began to cry. But that paw soon turned into an arm. Opening her eyes she saw that it was Saix. Vexation was written all over his face.

"Never, never, never do that again." His voice was as cold as his eyes. But inside his eyes shown fear and worry. Bawling like a little girl she was, she ran into his arm and clenched onto him in a to fully understand the gesture of comforting a child he awkwardly patted her back. "Come now, enough of that."

"Where's Zexion?! Is Zexion okay?!" She continued to cry.

"He's fine... cease your tears." Her cries slowly turned into whimpers as she began to fall asleep in his arms.

"Thank you, brother."

The tape stopped as the fuzz took them a week later back in the castle's living room.

"Megumi, Larxene will be your partner today."

"Larxene? Um..." Megumi looked around to see that there was no one else there except her and Saix.

"She already left. Go meet her on-site."

"You mean, I can go on my own?"

"Yes, you're trust worthy enough." Saix stated. "Remember, as siblings we can sense if one of us is in trouble. So if you ever need help one of us will find you."

"Okay," for the first time in a long time she smiled.

The video ended and started again deep within the ruins of the City of Mercy. Megumi could sense Larxene in the area but didn't see her anywhere. While she was at it she stared at the remains of the city in awe.

"Nice of you to show up." Come a voice from the side. Startled Megumi turned to see that it was the young lady from before. She was the only lady that was in one of the thrones.

"Umm, hi."

"Ugh this is the worse." Larxene complied. "Who's idea was it to send me along on this stupid baby mission? Do I look like I run a nursery here?

"Uh... " Megumi was stomped is she continued to rant on.

"Let Demyx handle this stuff. It's not like he's good for anything else."

"Um..."

"What? WHAT?" You got something to say?"

"No..."

"Enough, you gotta toughen up or they'll eat you alive out here, kid." A light bulb could be seen lighting on top of her head. "Oh ho! I just got an idea."

Megumi did not like the conniving look on her face.

"You can spend the rest of the mission time ONLY in Aragami form."

"What?! Why?"

"Because I said so, that's why! You gotta practice maintaining your Aragami form. The last thing you what is suddenly changing back while in the middle of a fight. Well, sink or swim."

"Right..." Megumi said sourly, turning into a Hannibal.

"Well, you're not gonna learn if you keep that attitude up. Here, I'll even do it with you. This'll be fun."

With that Larxene turned into something the Megumi could only say was breath taaking. She resemble an alluring woman with an over-sized headdress, but had the color and slight body resemblances of a butterfly. She looked like she was wearing baggy Arabian pants with a skirt and shoes. Her top was only covered in a Net Summer Top and long arm warmers that resembled long flower petals. Her skin was slightly purple and her clothes sported a lovely variate of purple and green. From her headdress flowed golden yellow hair and where her heart was there laid the Gothic Tattoo **13**.

"Wow... pretty!"

"You know it." She boasted with pride. Suddenly a Zygote came from behind one of the buildings. "Ah, perfect timing! Let's get started."

Megumi took it out for only five more to show up.

"Ooh ooh, here comes some more." Larxene said with glee. "Go on, wipe'em out!" She shot out lightning from the giant eye on her headdress.

Not to be left in the dust, Megumi charged in with fire blades. But Larxene was right she was having a hard time keeping their form. But the more cores she ate the easier it became. She looked like a struggling monkey while Larxene wasn't even breaking a sweat. For the first time, Megumi had burst in Aragami form.

"Sheesh, about time. Worst. Mission. Ever..."

"..." Megumi looked down, saddened by her disapproval.

"Oh don't give me that look. You're our king now, you're going to have to start acting like one or we're in deep doo-doo."

"But I... I'm just a kid."

"So are we, must of us are still in our teens. You better pull it together or you'll never survive out here." Larxene said, trying to shove the message in her head. "Ugh, let's go back already, we'll have a girls night."

"What?" Larxene lifted up a lock of her hair.

"You're hair is a mess. So you brush it yourself?"

"... I can't reach the ends."

"Jeez, you're hopeless."

The camera turned off to turn on later that night in Megumi's room. Both girls were in sleeping gowns, sitting up on the bed. Snacks and hair necessities were spread across the bed.

"You're hair is so pretty. You have to take better care of it." Larxene lectured Megumi as she brushed Megumi's hair.

"Not as pretty as yours, Larxene."

"Call me sis." Larxene corrected her with a grin. "I guess I'll have to come in here at least once a week to help you take care of it."

"Yes," Megumi smiled warmly at the idea. "I'd like that."

"Good. Now... let's finish this up so we can watch a movie."

And just as sudden as the scene started it ended to another day later. Megumi was walking into the Living room when she was stopped by Vexen.

"You're mine today, little lady." He said staring down at her.

"Uh, all right..." She found the man... strange.

"Ready, yourself, today we are going to be performing a reconnaissance in the area."

"Reconna... what? Why aren't we fighting Aragami?"

"Oh there's far more to our lives than that, little lady." Vexen said, waving her idea off. "Our work wouldn't go half as smoothly if we didn't gather the needed intelligence about our enemies before hand."

"Oh..." Megumi was taken aback by how passionate he was about the topic. Such a quirky older brother she had.

"Fortunately, you are in good hands. I will be by your side today to help stimulate that insensate mind of yours." He was practically dragging her out of the castle. "When we get there, I want you to take a look around the immediate area, and report anything unusual you find. And don't go wondering too far until you're carefully examined clues closest at hand."

The video stopped only to turn back on to Vexen and Megumi far in the City of Mercy, lying on the ground on their bellies, spying on a feeding herd of Ogretails in the distance.

"What are they eating?" Megumi asked Vexen.

"That's your job to find out."

"I think it's some kind of metal."

"Anyone can see that," Vexen countered. "(Sigh) The point isn't to wander around gawking. Analyze what you see."

"Um... Well, there's a lot of Ogretails."

"And?" Vexen urged her to go on.

"They could be in a herd?"

"Could be? Are you asking me or telling me? Megumi, you are looking but not seeing." Vexen scolded at her before turning back to their targets. "Here's what I see: This whole area is more disarray then the other parts of the city. With a big herd as that they could easily lay claim on a better area of this city. For them to feed in this area must mean that they were chased out by a stronger Aragami or Aragamis. Judging by their line up, from the leading feeding alpha to the betas, they came from the Northeast. Now, what about their feet can you point out?"

"They're wet... they must have been walking in water."

"That's right. Since it hasn't been raining in these areas for a while they must have come from the area with the never ending twister."

"Wow, you figured all that out just now?"

"But that's just it! I only stated what I saw. There was no 'figuring' involved. That's the next step: analyzing the data you find. Every little piece of detail can tell you a life's story. The whole city is a blue print to other lives."

"Wow, you're amazing uh..."

"Vexen, No. **5**, I don't recall we've ever had the chance to properly meet. It's good to finally meet a youngster who knows how to respect their elders. "Vexen began to boast with pride. "Don't worry, you'll get the hang of it as you get older. But you're not off the hook yet, little lady. This trouble you're having may be caused by a back of education. Once we get back I'm going to teach you all the necessary bases of school every weekday. If I let things be as it is I'll be the laughing stock of the castle. I didn't get a PhD for nothing."

"School," Megumi wined. "But it's summer vacation."

"There's no rest for a learning mind, I always say. Don't worry, Zexion will be helping with your tutoring." Megumi moaned in wallow, back to school she was going.

A roar brought them back to their targets. The Ogretails had spotted them, and they weren't happy.

"Our cover is blown. We'll have to take them out. Ahhh!" Vexen looked to be changing into something Megumi thought would be amazing. But her excitement were crushed when he just changed into a Fallen Cocoon Maiden. What a disappointing charge up.

"Come child, let us show them what Children of Misfortune can do." He said, shooting out ice needles from his chest and shooting frost blast from his mouth. Joining in, Megumi took out her blades and showered them with a dance of fire. After the usual devouring of cores they began to burst, water sprouted out from the ground along with plants.

"What did you learn today?" Vexen asked expectingly.

"Water shot out more drastically this time. There must be a large underground water source under the city.

"Good, you're showing some improvement." Vexen praised with a grin. "I guess we better hone in out little sister's new talent by getting back so you can learn more in class immediately." Megumi moaned in complaint.

The video ended there and turned back to another day. Megumi was back in the castle living room talking with Saix.

"Megumi, I have decided to pair you with Lexeaus today." Megumi turned to see an intimidating buff young man who silently stared back down at her. Having enough of the staring contest he crossed his arms.

"I trust you're ready?"

"Uh... yes." The man was silent as he left, Megumi followed closely behind. He was even silent as they made their way into the ruin City of Mercy. The silence was making Megumi nervous and restless.

"Do you know what an Aragami Burst is?" He finally spoke, not even looking at her.

"No..." She turned to him, happy to finally get a word out of him. He turned to her to continue explaining.

"It's your most powerful move at your disposal- one that should only be used when you are on your last legs."

"Why? If it's your most powerful move why only then?"

"Because it leaves you vulnerable." He formed a giant buster sword from the energy in his hand as a Chi-You approached them. "Now then, time for some practical application."

"Huh?"

He sliced Megumi from the side with his sword. Shock ran through Megumi- and the ones watching the film- as the blood shot out from the cut. She fell to her hands and knees as blood dropped to the ground.

"W-what was... that for? Nngh..." She said cringing from the pain.

"There. Now you are on your last legs." Lexaeus simply stated. "Do you feel your instincts kicking in, the will to survive? Use that energy building up inside you to take down the Chi-You."

Megumi was scared as the Chi-You came running at her. Lexeaus looked like he would do noting to intervene. The adrenalin rushed through her, she didn't want to die.

A shadow covered her face as three pairs of fire wings emerged from her back. Using them she floated into the air, her body was limp.

"Ahh!" She suddenly cried out as she shot upright from a crunched up position. Waves of fire shot from her body, too hot for the Chi-You as it burned to a crisp. Its core the only thing that didn't parish. Coming down from her Aragami Burst, she descended back to the ground and her wings returned into her back.

"Well fought." She flinched at his approach. He was hurt by this, but was understanding. He did just slice her after all. Careful not to scare her, he approached. Bending down he wrapped the wound with bandages. "I'm sorry... with our way of living I forget sometimes that you're only six. But the wound isn't so bad now, it's already healing. With your regenerative ability it should be gone by tomorrow."

"Why are you so rough?"

"Eventually, the time will come when you are asked to conduct a solo mission. At that time we won't be there to protect you. The only power you will be able to rely on is your own."

"So I've noticed. Ow!" She said as he wrapped the bandage on too tight. Apologizing with his eyes he loosen the bandage a little.

"You are our king and our little sister now. With the job comes great risk. Each mission will put you up against more and more Aragami."

"And I'm going to have to face them to protect people, right?"

"Correct." He answered, standing up after his task was done. "In the mean time, there are deeds to be done, and we need to do them."

"So... you need me?" She said getting up to look at him. Her eyes pleaded for a purpose in this world, in this odd family. At the moment she felt like more of a burden than a help and that was the last thing she wanted to be.

"... Yes." Relief flooded over her. "But I've been told you swing around your blades like a wild monkey. You lack form and that will come to a disadvantage in battle. We will begin your training this afternoon."

"But I have class with Vexen and Zexion."

"We can begin your lessons after your classes." Her shoulders slumped. The work seemed to keep piling up.

The video ended to start again back in the castle's living room.

"Hey, Megumi." Axel called out to her as she came into the room. "We'll be teamed up again for this mission. We can no longer baby you, this is going to be a real mission, so you best be prepared."

"I'm ready whenever you are, Axel."

"Fine by me. Let's get this show on the road. No slacking off!"

The camera turned off only to turn back after the fight in the City of Mercy was over. They were standing in the after math of plants.

"Hey, you've gotten pretty good since the last time we fought together."

"Yeah, Lexeaus has been training me to help improve my tactics."

"So, what are you going to do now that the mission's done?"

"Well... First, I'm going to report about the mission with Saix. Then I have to go to class with Vexen. After that is fighting lessons with Lexeaus..." She answered counting them down with her fingers.

"What, where's the joy in that? Oh Megumi, Megumi, Megumi. What am I going to do with you?" Axel sighed as he spoke rhetorically. "You're still a kid, princess. You need to learn to take a break, have some fun. Come on, follow me."

"But what about reporting in to Saix?"

"Saix can wait a couple more minutes, it's not going to hurt him."

Axel took her to one of the taller standing buildings. Sitting at the very top thy look off at the city as the sun danced upon the buildings' windows.

"Here," Axel said, handing her a soda from his coat pocket as he pulled out one for himself.

"Thank you," the drink was refreshing as it went down her throat. The city was strangely beautiful as the sun shined on its buildings' window with various hues of orange and yellow. "This is nice..."

"See, what did I tell yah?" Axel laughed around. "Hey, how about after each mission we come out here and have a snack for a bit of relaxing time. What do yah say?"

"Why would you go through all that trouble?"

"Cause you're my little sis and I like spending time with you."

"Then... Yes," she smiled at the news. "I think I'd enjoy that very much."


	20. Chapter 20

They say there is no match for Mother Nature. That's not true, it's Father Time. He's the only one who can take her bitch fits.

Revealing the Past III

"Hi yah, Poppet. You'll be working with me today." Xigbar said in his usual sense of cheer.

"What's a Poppet?"

"Why that's you, kiddo." He answered, poking at her cheek. Megumi swatted his finger away.

"I'm not a kiddo."

"Haha, yeah, yeah. Are you ready or what?"

"I suppose."

"Great! Then let's get cracking."

The camera turned off and back on at the borders of the Far East Branches Anti-Aragami wall. Hard to believe the Wall in that video was no more than seven years old. It was a hot summer day and the heat gathered around the junk metal scrap around the Wall.

"Ugh. I'm already frying out here." Xigbar said in complaint due to the heat. "C'mon kiddo. Let's get this over with."

"Wha-" He turned to look at her for her lack of response.

"What's wrong? Dazzled by my handsome ruggish figure." She giggled at that. "See, I knew I'd get you to laugh. C'mon kiddo, the faster we take this Aragami down the faster we can get back to the castle and out of this awful heat."

Using energy from both hands he pulled forth a set of pistols that resembled Chi-You wings. They ran across the Wall and the junk heaps in search of their target.

"Huh? Big brother..."

"Xigbar, kiddo. What's up?" He noticed her hand rubbing against a dent on the Wall.

"The Wall here is dented... I guess it was poorly built?"

"As if, that thing will last longer than any of us. Look closer."

"... This isn't naturally caused. And it's recent, something big must have done this."

"Look's like we're on track." They traveled further along the Wall until Megumi spotted the target.

"Over there. Is that the target?"

"Atta-girl, kiddo." Xigbar praised while rubbing her head. She giggled at his antics. "That's just the guy we were looking for."

Right when they were about to charge in on the Quadriga running amuck, a man appeared from behind a nearby junk pile.

"Oh no, Xigbar. There's a man over there. We should warn him about the Aragami."

But Xigbar wasn't as willing to help the man; he recognized that man's kind. The desperation of searching each junk pile, the look of greed on his face, the shotgun strapped on his back. This guy was a pillager. Megumi was young, she never had the experience of meeting one. But he did, and it cost him an eye.

"Best leave him alone, kiddo. He should be fine where he is."

"But the Aragami's getting closer." Trying not to make much noise she threw a peddle at the man to get his attention. The man was not pleased, let alone with the fact he wasn't alone out there. Missing his aggressiveness entirely Megumi began to whisper to him. "Go back, there's an Aragami here."

"What did you say?! You best not be stepping on my turf, brat!"

"I said go back." She barely raised her voice and the Quadriga still came running at her. "Xigbar, come on."

"No kid, wait!" But it was too late, she had already turned into a Hannibal... in front of that man. "Darn it all!"

With the cat out already out of the bag Xigbar transformed too. At the sight of him, Megumi froze in horror on top of the Quadriga's back. Like a monster right out of her worse memories and nightmares he had changed into a Borg Camlann. She was about to start shaking when she looked to his chest to see the number **3** tattooed on him. Relief came over her as something she fear instantly turned into something she could never fear. This was one of her own, this was her brother.

Stabbing the Quadriga in its chest Xigbar stopped the giant Aragami from releasing missiles. While doing so hindered the Aragami's movement, giving Megumi the opportunity to snap its neck and rip off its head.

"Oh no, the man!" She said with worry, forgetting her duty to duty to devour the core to instead check on the man.

He was a wreck. Shaking in his boots about the things he had just seen. When he saw Megumi coming his way, switching back to a little girl, he stepped back.

"Sir, are you alright?" She asked him, his fear blocked him from the knowledge that she was adorable.

"Stay back, keep away." He said his hand slowly reaching for his shotgun. Xigbar missed this as he extracted the Quadriga's core with his bare hands.

"You don't have to be frightened. We won't harm you." She soothed to him, taking a step closer. This made him pull out his shotgun.

"I said stay back, Monster!" The name made her flinch, along with the platinum haired buster blader watching the video. Ever since the day of her rebirth she had never considered herself a monster, having someone call her out on it was like a splash of water to the face.

"Monster? No, we're not monsters."

"Die, Monster!" He pulled the trigger. The shot rang out, Xigbar dropped the core in his hand on the ground. Megumi fell onto the floor, bleeding out and eyes wide open in shock, with a giant hole in her chest.

"MEGUMI!" The man turned to shoot again, remembering that there was another monster. Xigbar shot the gun out of his hands before he could even pull the trigger. He was absolutely livid.

"I knew I shouldn't have let her come near your sorry ass." The man fell on his butt as he tried to back away, forcing him to crawl back. "I'll admit I've done some terrible things in the past. I stole, killed, and even worked for the Black Market for a time. But you... oh, you. You took the cake, I'd never resort myself to shooting children."

The man crawled his way into a dead-end-of-a-junk-pile. With his way out gone he resorted to begging, shielding himself with his arms.

"Sir, please. Have mercy! Y-you said you weren't monsters!"

With no hesitation he pointed one of his pistols at the man's head. "She wasn't a monster, but I am."

Pulling the trigger the man fell back dead into the pile of junk. His death was not a satisfying justice to Xigbar. He should've shot the man in his stomach and let him slowly drown in his own stomach acid. But the gurgling and grasping from Megumi brought him back to the situation.

"Kid..." He ran to her side, kneeling down as he held her in his arms. She tried to cover the wound but the hole was bigger then her hand. As she gurgled out blood she cried.

"I don't understand, Xigbar. I was... only trying to help."

He held her closer in comfort. "I know, kiddo. Its just... not all people are good in this world. They just don't understand... what we are and that makes them scared and causes them to do bad things."

"It hurts." She cried to him.

"There, there, poppet. Every thing's going to be okay." Xigbar was saying that more to himself than Megumi. He was scared, she was losing too much blood, at this rate she won't last long. And the wound was too big for him to block the blood flow with his hand.

"Nothings like before..." She began to turn pale. "Hold me, I'm so cold..."

"No, no, no kid. Don't you dare give up on me. Keep those eyes open." But it was a losing battle. Her eyes shut and her body went limp. "Megumi... Megumi! Oh, damn it all! She was just a kid! ... Just a ..."

For a while he just held Megumi in his hands. The years and experiences he's been through has numb him to tears. But the pain on his face spoke more than tears ever could.

"To be honest I was happy when you showed up. I felt like you would bring light back into our gray world. And I was right, the castle has been more lively since you came along. You were my new baby sister... and I couldn't protect you. I'm sorry... I'm sorry for my rough exterior around you; I'm sorry for just rushing you into this life; I'm sorry for not keeping you safe; I'm sorry for everything!"

A twitch of Megumi's fingers brought the attention of Xigbar.

"Kid?" He looked down to the surprise of his life. Her organs and bones were regenerating before his eyes. The hole was closing as tissue and skin covered it. Placing his hand on her wrist he got a pulse. She took a heavy first breath, her color was starting to return. "Kid! Hang on, I'll get you back to the Doc!"

The video ended as he was picking her up. When the video came back on Xemnas and Saix were watching over the sleeping form of Megumi as she laid on her room's bed.

"It seems that her Oracle Cells have done their work..." Saix commented. "There isn't a scratch on her."

"Will she wake from this?" Xemnas asked, looking at the area where the shotgun hole was on her clothes.

"Vexen said that she would." Saix answered. "Apparently, unlike us, she has an instant regenerative core. Vexen concluded with time her regenerative speed should develop along with her. Which means she is unable to die."

"Perhaps that explains why Aragami are lured to her. With a core like any Aragami could grin incredible power if they devour it."

"Should we stop sending her on missions?"

"... No. She needs to get stronger if she is to defend herself from these constant threats."

"Understood..."

"Tell me when she wakes up. It's best that she knows this information."

"Very well." Saix left, leaving Xemnas alone in the room with Megumi. Xemnas looked down at her and spoke.

"This world tries to crush kindness; even so, I pray you never lose yours. Heaven knows how much this world needs it."

The video stopped then came back a night later. Megumi was awake, lying on her bed. She was staring up at the ceiling, most likely contemplating what Xemnas had told her. A knock on the door did little to interrupt her. Xigbar's head peeked through the door.

"Hey, Poppet. Can I come in?"

"Sure." He let himself in all the way. Grabbing the chair from her desk he drag it to sit by her bedside.

"How're you holding up?"

"Okay, I guess. It's not everyday you find out that you're almost immortal."

"Does it hurt?" He asked, examining where the gun wound once was.

"Not anymore." She turned her head to look at him and smiled. "Thanks for worrying Xiggy."

"Xiggy?!"

"Well if you're going to be calling me by nicknames then I should too. What's wrong with it? I think it's cute."

"Heh, cute? That's the last thing I want to be thought as. Hm, Fine. If that's how it's going to be I think I'll call you princess from now on."

"Ha, a king and a princess, how lucky am I." That got them both laughing until Megumi noticed that Xigbar was hiding something behind his back. "Hey, what do you got there?"

"Oh, nothing much." He adverted his head away as he revealed the fairytale book he had behind him. "I thought you could use a good bedtime story is all."

"Yes," her smile grew warmer. "I'd like that, Xiggy."

"Alright, but turn off that camera." He bargained. "The last thing I need is for Larxene to use the tape against me. I've got an image to keep."

"Deal," she happily complied.

With the click of a button the video was off and didn't come back on until almost a month later. She was out in the ruin city with Xaldin. The moon and stars were their only light.

"What's the deal today, Xal?"

"Hm, the answer lyes down there." He pointed down a crack in the ground. Below there was not only tumbled builds but also Aragami. In fact most of the ground was covered with Ogretails and Vajratails.

"Whoa... so many."

"Hmph, Weaklings. Come, princess, we'll end them here." Xaldin said to Megumi, by this time most of the guys picked up calling her that. Changing into a Quadriga with a number **4** tattooed on its chest, he readied his missiles. "Let's make it rain."

Firing all missiles he lit them up. Once some ground was covered Megumi jumped in as a Hannibal to finish off the rest with her fire blades. Wiping out the opponents Megumi started to do a victory dance along with jumping up and down.

"I did it, I did it! Hey, did you see that Xal?!"

"Yes, that was passable. Now help me finish off these cores."

"Aw man..."

The video cut off to minutes later back at the castle where Xigbar and Lexaeus was there to greet them in the hallway.

"Hey there princess. How was your night on the town with Xaldin?" Xigbar joked.

"Flashie."

"Her skills have shown improvement, but I think she can still do better." Commented Xaldin, crossing his arms.

"Indeed." Lexaeus agreed. "I was planning to take her out for a late night training to work on her movement and swordplay. Perhaps you'd like to assist me, Xaldin?"

"Wha- now wait a minute." Megumi pleaded to no avail.

"Very well. Perhaps with two she'll understand the lesson better." Xaldin consented to assisting.

"Wait guys, I'm tired. Can't we do this in the morning?"

"Why put off for tomorrow what you can do today," replied Xaldin.

"No slacking off princess," Lexaeus lectured.

"Ah... Xiggy, help me out here." She gave him the biggest puppy dog eyes.

"As if. I don't want to get in the way of your valuable training." Xigbar teased, hands crossed behind his head as he walked away. "I care about your future, princess."

"Xiggy you traitor!"

"Now, now, I'll make it up to you." Xigbar said, waving a hand back at her as he left. "Tonight we'll read 'A Thousand Furs.'"

"(Mumble) I love that story." She pouted in defeat.

The video stopped, fuzz played on until the video started again. It was weeks later, Megumi was out in the swamp areas close to the Sunken Grid with Demyx. His upper half hung low and his arms limply swung with the wind.

"(Sigh)... I'm so not cut out for combat." Demyx complained. "Would it kill them to give me a recon mission or... I don't know, something un-violent?"

"C'mon on Demyx, this'll be fun." Megumi encouraged while putting his back. "All we have to do is take out a Kongou then we can go home."

"Okay, right on..." Demyx said, standing up straight again. "Ooh, but should we just go waltzing around like this?"

"Makes it easier to draw them out." Megumi answered. "And besides... we're in your playing field today."

"Ahh, I get were you're going with this." Just as he said that the Kongou came barreling down to them, knocking down trees along the way. "Good luck on your end."

Demyx dived into the nearest body of water. Megumi nodded to him before he went under then turned to the Kongou. Changing into a Hannibal she gestured to it to come hither.

"C'mon, let's play a game." Enraged by her cockiness the Kongou began to fire concentrated balls of wind at her. Dodging them she made her way into the water. Jumping from rock to rock she dodged the Kongou's fires. "Come on, shoot the fishie."

The Kongou banged its fist down in frustration. Running into the water it climbed one of the rocks to get a closer shot. As it aimed at her a Fallen Gboro of the ice element with a **10** tattooed on its chest came jumping up at it like a shark. taking a giant bite of its upper half and dragged the Kongou down into the water with it.

"(Giggle) You didn't shoot the fishie." Megumi teased. The Fallen Gboro resurfaced, jumping on a rock closest to her it changed back into a soaked Demyx. "Fun, huh?"

"Yeah... a blast." Demyx said sourly.

The video ended there and started weeks later again. Megumi was walking into the living room while Luxord and Xaldin were playing cards at the couch area.

"Princess. How has the game been treating you?"

"Uh... fine I guess." Putting his cards down he got up to face her.

"Saix shuffled us together for today's mission. I wager we'll make a good enough team."

"I don't see why not."

"So we'll be hunting a specific game today. You best be ready." Then he turned to Xaldin. "I'm afraid we'll have to save our game for another time."

Xaldin waved it off. "I'll take you on later. Maybe then lady luck will be on my side."

"Hmph, luck's like that." Luxord commented. "A window of opportunity can open and close in the blink of an eye." Then he turned to say the rest to Megumi as if to teach her a life lesson. "It's whether or not you can jump on the chance when it arises that determines a man's fate. Let's hope we stand up to the odds this time around."

"Ohhh, okay. Well then... she we go Luxord."

The video ended and started up again with Megumi surrounded by a blood bath. Luxord was finishing off one more as a Gboro with the tattoo **11** on its chest. With his final move he Aragami Burst into a Golden Gboro to attack the Aragami with his canon. Changing back to a human again he finished the Aragami off with sharp edged poker cards.

"Game, set, and match." He said while making his cards vanish.

"Another job well done." Megumi boasted. "Do you think we'll ever face an Aragami with a challenge?"

"Nobody's going to reveal his hand from the get-go." Luxord lectured to her. "Remember, you have to outwit your opponent in the give and take to figure them out."

"I try to remember that next time."

"Heh. Let's head back princess."

"You seem to like talking about cards a lot brother."

"Oh course, I once worked in a casino in London before I became part of the family."

The video ended and popped on again days later. Axel and Megumi were out in the city ruins close to the Wailing Plains. Their skies were gray but it did not rain.

Megumi had a look of pure horror on her face as she looked up into the eyes of the Ouroboros approaching them.

"Princess, what's wrong?" Axel called out in concern as he readied himself for the Ouroboro's approach.

She began to shake, her legs were like noodles. As the Ouroboros roared out at them she gave out a cry too.

"AHH!"

"Megumi!" She had soiled herself in fright. Regardless of that, Axel picked her up and fled the area. "C'mon, we're getting out of here."

The video fuzzed off again, all in the room were silent. Not even Kota could make a piss joke at that, they'd just watch a little girl come face-to-face with an Ouroboros. Soma started facing off Aragami when he was 12, the mere idea of a 6 year old being okay with facing Aragami of massive proportion was laughable. No one that young was ready for 'that.'

The video fuzzed back on again with a scared Megumi hugging her legs to her chest as she shook in the corner of her bed in her room. Her brothers Xemnas, Saix, and Axel sat by her bedside as they watched her pitiful state from her back side.

"She just panicked," Axel explained. "One look at the Ouroboros and she broke down. The size of it must've been too much for her."

She looked to the front end of the bed. Grabbing panda-chan, who was laying on the pillow, she began to rock back and forth. She held panda-chan tight.

Staring at her for a second longer Xemnas got up. "I'm taking Megumi out."

"!"

"Do you think that is wise, Xemnas?" Saix said in concern. "It's much too soon for her to be going out in the field again."

"I'm only taking her on a stroll." His eyes were the only thing looking back down at Saix. "She needs to get rid of this fear before it becomes a handicap."

Leaning forward he shook Megumi's shoulder to make her turn to look at him.

"Come along, Megumi." Xemnas said, righting himself straight. "It's time for big brother Xemnas to spend some quality time with you."

The video stopped and then jumped back on. They were in the territory of the Wailing Plains. Rain lightly drizzled down, but Xemnas held Megumi's tiny hand as they walked without a care.

Stopping at the edge of a toppled building they looked out at the Plains.

"Megumi, do you see me as an older brother?" Xemnas continued to look out at the Plains as Megumi turned her head to look at him.

"Yes." At her answer he turned to look at her.

"Do you trust your older brother?"

"I do." Bending down to one knee he exposed his back to her.

"Then climb on my back." Carefully she complied.

Squeezing on to him tighter while he rose to his feet. He grew bigger and bigger and bigger, he began to change into the beast that gave her a fright. Transforming into his Aragami mode, Megumi began at his back but ended up on top of his head at the end of his transformation. He had become a Fallen Ouroboros.

Holding on to platinum moss that covered his head with her tiny hands; he began to walk. It was more like marching as his long legs covered great distance over the Plains. Megumi was having the time of her life, it felt like an elephant ride without the swaying. She laughed and clapped and playfully kicked her feet around with glee. The cool rain gently kissed her face.

"Are you having fun?" Xemnas asked.

"Yes! This is amazing!"

"Do I frighten you?"

"No," she calmly said. Lying on her tummy she hugged his head. "No, you don't."

"Then never fear my kind again." Xemnas continued on, warmed by her tiny affection. "You are the king, you are much more stronger than all our Aragamis' to fear us."

"I don't feel so strong."

"That s because you're still learning, you still have a long ways to go." Xemnas answered. "But you'll get there."

"(Sigh) Okay..." She said, resting her head on Xemnas's. Suddenly a thought popped into her head. "Hey, Xemnas?"

"Yes?"

"If we're so special does that mean we can control other Aragami?"

"Of sorts, we all have the ability to command our own kind of Aragami, but you're different?"

"Why?"

"Because you're king, and there may or may not be other Aragami like yours. But I believe you have the ability to control Aragami weaker than you?"

"Well why?"

"Ha, aren't you full of questions today. You've already shown signs of this. Aragami are automatically drawn to your voice."

"(Sigh) I wish it wasn't true."

"Well don't brush off that gift just yet. With that ability you can communicate with the Aragami and possibly stop the conflict. You just have to work on it."

They stayed silent for a while. Megumi lifted her face to the air, closing her eyes as the washed over her face. She listened to the melody of their tiny drops.

"So pretty..."

"The rain?"

"Yes," she answered to his question. "Can't you hear it? Can't you hear the rains' song? It sounds like a piano playing a melody about a Dearly Beloved."

"... Yes. I believe I can hear it?"

"I've always loved the rain. It always washes away the pains of yesterday as the wind blows it all away."

"Hm, what a lovely concept. Dealing with the things that we are, we need something like that? I think I'm growing fond of the rain as well."


	21. Chapter 21

Ugh this chapter is so looooong. My fingers are sore from simply typing this.

f.y.i The song Megumi sings is Arriety's Song from The Secret World of Arrietty

Revealing the Past Part IV

"My brothers and sister, today marks a tremendous occasion." Xemnas said, addressing them all in the thrones room. Like their first day together they all sat on their thrones as they looked down at Megumi. However, this time she wasn't nervous... just rather shy. "Our little sister turns seven today. Such an event cannot go unnoticed. Tell us, Megumi, what is it that you desire as a gift. Ask for whatever you please and we will see if we can get it done."

"... Might I have a bit of earth... to grow things in."

"... You wish for land to burst?"

"No, I... I want to help things grow with my own hands." She looked down, kicking her foot about with her hands behind her back. "I'd like to grow some flowers, if I can."

"Hm..." Her eyes brightened with hope. "Very well, you can have your garden. The area in the back of the castle shall be our new court yard."

"If you wish to start afresh, here is my gift to you." Marluxia said, tossing her a tiny bag.

"What is it?"

"They're seeds from my home country, nothing more. But once they grow they will become beautiful flowers thought to be long gone from this world... Roses."

"Thank you Marluxia!" She then looked at all of them. "Thank you everyone! I can't wait to get started!"

Turning off then back on the camera showed Demyx practicing his guitar in the living room while Megumi watch.

"Hey Megumi, do you play an instrument?"

"Nooo..."

"No! Well that won't do at all! C'mon I'll teach you. Once I'm done you'll be a master of music! From bass to flute!"

The camera turned off then back on a later time. Megumi was eight years old now and was working in the castle's courtyard.

She had done a remarkable job changing up the place based off of the area around it. Rumble was cleared up, a stone walkway paved the ground, and flowers bloomed all over. Morning Glories vine themselves on the cliff wall around the castle. In front of them grew white lilies with the occasion yellow lily in the bunch. In the center of the courtyard grew a cherry blossom tree that had a long stone block in front of it that acted as a bench- at the moment was occupied by Larxene. But most of the garden was ruled by Rose bushes. Vibrant red roses bloomed all over the courtyard as Megumi trended to their soil and leaves.

"Ah, what lovely work you've done here, princess." Marluxia said, walking up to her. "It gives this dreary castle a new light."

"It's all thanks to you, bit brother." She said, looking up to him with a smile.

"Still, to think you made all this from a couple of seeds." Then he turned his head to address Larxene who was laying down on the stone block, reading a magazine. "But none of them compare to your beauty, Larxene."

"Oh dream on Pip squeak. It's not going to happen." Larxene shot him down without even looking away from her magazine.

"Wuh-oh, still trying to win over Larxene, Marluxia?" Xigbar cackled out the window. "When are you ever going to give up?"

"Say what you want, but persistence shall prevail. I shall win over the fair Duchess's heart in the end."

"Savage Nymph is more like it?" Xigbar mumbled, earning a magazine smacked to the face, thrown by vexed Larxene.

The video stopped then started again Megumi was nine now, and fighting Aragami along side Zexion, Marluxia as an Aether, and Lexaeus as a Kongou.

They torn through there enemies like butter. Roses petals formed from each of Marluxia's attacks, even his poisonous gas gave off the scent of roses. Lexaeus was crushing the enemies with his fists like nothing. Zexion was in Vajratail mode while Megumi stayed mostly in human form.

With the targets finally terminated all was well. They let Lexaeus eat all the cores for reasons unknown to the First unit. But Lexaeus wasn't satisfied he began to destroy the area around them, even started swinging at them.

"Lexaeus. What's wrong with you?! Lexaeus!" Megumi called out to him.

"The Darkness is consuming him!" Zexion explained to her. "He must be falling into Madness!"

"A fate we all will face in time." Marluxia morbidly said.

"I knew he waited too long to go on a hunt. Darn his stubborn nature." Zexion said, hissing at the end of his sentence.

Megumi ran up to Lexaeus, changing back fully to human, she opened her arms wide open and stopped.

"No, Megumi! Stay back!" Marluxia warned her.

"Lexaeus, stop! It's over now, we won!" She tried reaching out to him with her plea.

Lexaeus shakenly grabbed Megumi's left arm. Thinking that he was using her as an anchor, she allowed it. But she didn't realize her mistake until he bit into her fingers.

"Ahhh!" Her cry out brought him back to reality. His eyes shot wide open as he let go of her arm and jumped back. Gripping her hand close to her chest, she watched it heal. Lexaeus let of a sad burst as he changed back into a human. Guilt was written all over his face.

"I'm sorry... Megumi." Half of his face was covered by his hand. He couldn't even look at her. "As a former soldier I should've had more control."

"Brother..." She reached out to his arm but he shied away from her.

"Best not come near me. I might turn on you." He said bitterly before walking away.

"Brother, wait!" But her plea rang on deaf ears, he continued to head back without them. "Lexaeus..."

The video turned off and back on again three days later. Lexaeus was leaving, a bag of his belongings carried on his shoulder and all. Sadness and regret was written on his face as he was walking out the door.

Megumi dashed from the corner of the hallway. Tears rolling down her eyes as her hand rested on the wall.

"Brother," Lexaeus flinched to a stop at the sound of her voice. "Lexaeus, don't go, please!"

She ran to him, hugging him from behind. She was getting bigger, but she still was half his height.

"It doesn't hurt anymore, I promise! I know you didn't mean it. Don't let what happened drive you away! I'm sorry, if you wanted me to say 'I'm sorry' I'll say it! But please don't go, please don't go!" She cried into his back.

Looking up to the ceiling he dropped his bag to the floor. He said nothing, turning around in her small arms he picked her up and hugged her back.

The video ended and started again. Megumi was ten years old now and started to go through a growth-spurge.

Megumi was floating in the air with her fire wings, partially in human form. Various flying Aragami were coming right at her. She began to count them off.

"3... 25... 30... 33... 35." She waved her hand horizontally, releasing a way of fire that incinerated most of them. "1."

The video stopped and started again. The First unit began to disk was going to start playing mostly short skits from now on.

The video started maybe a weak later. Megumi, Zexion, and Demyx were hanging out in the living room. They watched as Demyx played a role-playing video game on the big screen.

"Well done Demyx, you've won the attention of a cybernetic female. What are you going to do next?" Zexion said sarcastically as if the whole situation was completely idiotic and a waste of time.

"Uhhh... Oh, I know! Girls like it when you're mean to them." With that conclusion Demyx hit the ignore button.

"Ha! Pwned!" Megumi jeered out at the girl on the screen.

"Ha! Sorry! I don't know you even exist and treat you like dirt, therefore you want me." Demyx joke around, playfully puffing out his chest in false pride. Not leaving her brother hanging Megumi played along. Putting on dreamy eyes she looked up to him, hands together.

"Demyx-sama, how can you be so cool and yet so desirable."

"Idiots..." Was all Zexion was going to comment.

Again the video ended then started up again. This time it started with everyone gathered in the living room, sitting around the couch area. Aside from the occasional meals, this was one of the few times that they were all gathered together.

"Hey, Lexaeus..." Megumi called out to him to start a conversation. "You were a soldier, yes? Where were you from?"

"Heh, I was from the Europe Branch." Lexaeus spoke with pride, his arms were crossed. "I was part of the Special Forces that secured the nobility and political figures."

"Wow, you were like a knight!"

"Of sorts," he then pointed his thumb at Xaldin. "Believe or not that's how Xal and I met each other. We served in the same unit for years."

"You acted more knightly than I ever did." Xaldin shot back with a grin. Then he turned to continue their story to Megumi. "On one operation we were ambushed by Aragami. Our objectives managed to safely escape while we held them off. However, we weren't so lucky. Once Father found us we were a bloody mess on the floor."

"Heh, your story is trivial compared to mine." Vexen boasted before turning to Megumi. "I was working in one of the finest Labs in Germany. I was researching the biology of Aragami. At the time Zexion was my lab assistant and my ward."

"I wish you wouldn't go into that story." Zexion said in a cool laze as he read through his book. "It's just too tiring and repetitive."

"Oh, hush." Vexen said, waving Zexion off. "Father didn't like scientist, for reasons of his own. He attacked my lab and slaughtered everyone there in lab coats. When he finally came to us I tried to protect Zexion. Impressed by our selflessness and humanity, he saw potential in us. From then on we walked among the Aragami."

"Jeez, your story was so boring, at least mine ended with a bang." Xigbar said.

"How did you get turned Xiggy?"

"... Let's just say... I got on the bad side of the wrong people. Cost me an eye at the end and a lot of bullets. Admiring the flash I created Father gave me a new life. It wasn't so bad at first, I got to kill as much as I wanted without being the bad guy."

"Ooh ooh," Demyx said, lifting up his hand as if to get the teachers attention. "You should ask about Luxord's story, it's pretty good."

"Really? What's your story, Luxord?"

"Oh nothing much, it was just another day at work when Father came in to my casino. He had an air about him the said dangerous. I knew this man coming in was death in physical form, that this could be the day I die and this would be the dealer. Others moved away from here out of hear, but I didn't. The danger excited me, danger was always where Lady luck would grace her appearance. He sat at my dealers table, as confident as a Royal Flush. I knew he was dangerous, but I though he was just a normal customer. Ignorantly I dealed him in a game of Blackjacks. After a while he requested I play as well, he offered to make it fun with a challenge I couldn't possibly reject. If I'd win he would change my life to something more exciting, if I'd lose he'd kill me. I never could resist a game of chance, the mere rush of it is when I felt the most alive. Lady luck was on my side that day, victory was mine and thus the day of my rebirth."

Megumi was sitting at the edge of her seat, hanging on to every word of his tale. "Wow, that's amazing Luxord!"

"But hardly romantic. Come little bud, I will tell you a much better story." Marluxia said, drawing Megumi's attention and the seat drop from everyone else. "I was from a noble family in Spain. My family lineage came from a long line of knights who defended the King and owners of the finest wine vintage in Spain. On one sunny day my home was attacked by the Sirens of the Aragami world, Sariels. Valiantly I fought against the beauties who threaten my family's land with nothing but a scythe until the last of my kin safely escaped. Although the temptresses tried to seduce me into submission I would not be wooed."

"Here we go again," Larxene sighed while rolling her eyes.

"Charmed by my loyalty to family. Father gave me the gift of rebirth and thus a new family for the family I could never return to. Now I have a new kin for my loyalty to burn passionately for." Then his eyes landed on Larxene. "And my own personal temptress."

"Keep dreaming, Mar."

"What about you Larxie? What's your story?"

"Mine... isn't so glamorous."

"How come?"

"Her story is similar to ours." Axel explained while pointing to Saix. "We were orphans from America. We travel around and scavenged what we could to get by."

"Back then stealing was a necessity in order to survive." Saix said nonchalantly. "Only the strong could make it to see the next day."

"At that time it was just me and Saix. Two best pals, traveling the world together." Axel jumped back in while placing an arm around Saix's shoulder pulling him into a bro hug that he eventually pulled out of. "But Larxene... was all alone."

"Hmph, it was better that way." Larxene said wickedly, defending her excuse for past solitude. "As a woman it was better to be alone. Less likely to the person beside you to stab you in the back and sell you to the human trafficking."

"Larxene," Xemnas said warningly. She was going into a topic far too dark for Megumi to know about.

"Tst, you can't baby her from everything, Xemnas. It'll only cripple her in the long run." Larxene then turned back to Megumi. "As girls we have to be tougher or else this world would eat us up alive. That was my life and I jumped on the opportunity to change that once it arrived. Father had eventually found me fending off fiends with nothing more than a couple of throwing knives and took care of the rest for me. He found us all eventually, and not a moment too soon."

"That was sad..." Megumi somberly turned to Demyx. "What about you? Did the Aragami take your family away too?"

"Nay, my mom left when I was a baby and my pop died of a stroke." Demyx answered nonchalantly, waving her off.

"What?" She was taken aback by the suddenly normal scenario in this day and age that was indeed plausible. Grinning at her stomped face, Demyx jumped onto the coffee table and gestured like a flashy sign.

"There I was wondering the roads of California, alone with nothing to my name except the clothes on my back and my old man's guitar and a dream. One day I would play my tunes all over the globe and would be known as a legendary rock star!"

"..." You could hear a crow cawing in the background.

"There I was, set and on my way, when suddenly..."

"You got attacked by an Aragami." Megumi sadly concluded.

"No, I tripped and feel down a steep hill." He corrected he with a blush.

"..." The crow was back, suddenly Larxene burst out laughing.

"Hey, those rocks on that hill were sharp! I was in pain all over once I reached the bottom!"

"God, Demyx, you're such a klutz! Hahaha!"

"Shut up, Larxene!" He then turned back to Megumi, jumping off the coffee table. "Anyway, Father found me at the bottom of the hill. I came to a stop right next to his feet. Grinning at me her said 'I like your spirit' and turned me into part of the family."

"He probably found you humorous."

"Shove it, Zexion!"

"What's wrong with that? It's good to be able to make people laugh every once in a while. Lord knows this world could use more laughter." Megumi said, coming to Demyx's defense. "Hey, Xemnas, what about you?"

"I'm what's left... or, maybe I'm all there ever was."

"I meant your story." If Megumi were to guess she would say he was originally from Egypt.

"My story is of no importance, my world was too small so I left it for something more." Then he turned to look at her. "What about you? What about your story?"

"You know my story." She looked down, hiding her face with her hair.

"Yes, however, are you happy with the ending?"

"... Yes," she then looked up at him, smiling. "Yes, I am. Because, in the end, I met you guys."

"Hm, bonding by misfortune." Closing his eyes he grinned. "What a strange family we are."

The video ended and started again months later. Megumi was riding on Xemnas's Fallen Ouroboros head in the Sunken Grid. Looking in the distance she saw the ruins of an old building who's beckon still glowed. The place looked like an ordinary Laboratory, but for some reason it sent a chill down her spine.

"Brother, what is that place?" She asked, pointing toward the building.

"That is the bad place. You must never go there, Megumi."

"But why does the mere sight of it fill me with fright?"

"Oh that is simply a fear passed on from Father."

"Why would he be afraid?"

"(Sigh) I guess it's time that you know the truth. Tell me, what do you know about the Aragami?"

"Vexen said that they're... beings with no brains, no heart, spinal fluid, or vital organs. They're a cluster of Oracle Cells each of which is a single-cell organism that thinks and preys upon others."

"That's correct, however, where do you think they came from?"

"I don't know. They suddenly appeared on the world out of no where."

"Everything comes from somewhere, they just came from another world."

"What?"

"The story is thus. Long ago, light-years away, there was a planet thrice the size of Earth orbiting a Main-sequence star. The beings on this planet were comprised of Oracle Cells that could withstand the planet's gravity."

"You mean..."

"That's right, the Aragami came from another planet. Knowing of no other way of life they lived in a cycle of carnage where the planet would continue to be destroyed then reborn. But, space is a violent place... one massive asteroid could destroy a planet in no time at all."

"!"

"Yes, the planet was destroyed, ripped apart and scattered in chunks, eliminating all life on it during the collision. All except for one piece of rock, carrying the remaining lives of Oracle Cells on its cold journey through space, where they hibernating. In time, it had made it to Earth. Breaching our atmosphere, it made impact in the Wailing Plains, the aftershock killed thousands and created the twister you see today."

"So that's where they came from. They must've woken up from their hibernation, regenerated into a form, and started devouring the area to transform into a more native shape and continued their basic nature of carnage."

"I'm afraid it's not that simple, Megumi. The story doesn't end there. Soon after the impact scientist gathered around the crash site to examine the situation. using equipment able to withstand the wind pressure they gathered the rock carrying the Oracle Cells. It should've ended that day. Their memories of their past and their ways of carnage were erased. They had a clean slate and a chance to start anew, without the gluttonous need to devour the world..."

"But..."

"That's what would've happened if it wasn't for the hands of Dr. Xehanort."

"Xehanort?" Xemnas began to hiss as he spoke of the man with venom.

"He's was a monster, a dangerous one at that. Once the Genesis Aragami fell into his hands they entered a world of hell. He tortured them; picked them apart; trapped them in cages; and pinned them against each other all in the name of science. Their living conditions were deplorable, trapped in cages that barely gave them leg room and rarely fed. Through time the Aragami with high intelligence began to rise up."

"Was Father among them? Xemnas voice began to lose its sting.

"One of the first. Countless experiments that felt like they lasted for years went by, the Aragami began to grow merciless. They detested the humans that caused them suffering. Having enough, the intelligent ones revolted, slaughtering everyone in the lab. Not even Xehanort could escape, Father made certain of that. Now freed from their prisons they took their learned cruelty and grudge out on the humans. Anarchy took over the world, which leads us to this day."

"You said Aragami of high intelligence began to rise, does that mean there are more Aragami like Father out there?"

"I only know of one other..." But then he got serious again. "You must never go to that Laboratory, Megumi."

The video ended and started again inside the castle's living room. Axel and Saix were sitting on the couches, more like lying down in Axel's case, each reading their respective book.

The clomping of feet could be heard getting louder as Megumi stormed into the room. She leaned of the door frame as she caught her breath. She was now eleven years old and her baby fat on her face was slowly disappear.

"Guys, help..." She said winded. Startled by her state of being Axel and Saix got up-right.

"Princess what's wrong?" "Are you injured?" Axel and Saix both spoke in concern, Axel expressing it more. She nodded in compliance.

"I'm bleeding and it's not healing."

"!" Saix's eyes widened along with Axel's.

"Where?!" Axel checked her over in concern. How could this be? They all had regenerative abilities, her's better than most. Why was she not healing? Could possibly be a new poison that prevents the regenerative process?

"Here!" She pointed toward the area of the wound in fear. Saix's and Axel's eyes widened in fear and embarrassment as she pointed toward her crotch area.

"..."

"'Scuse me." Axel said in disbelief. They knew this day would come they just hoped it wouldn't come too soon. Her eyes began to water with confusion and fear.

"It just started bleeding and I can't make it stop. (Sniffle) What'll I do? Am I dying?"

"(Sigh) No, Megumi, you're not dying." Saix said closing his eyes pinched his nose.

"Then... what's happening to me?" The boys got uncomfortable and began to fidget in their seats.

"Uh... well... you see, princess, it's... ah..." Axel struggled to explain as he scratched the back of his skull for the right answer. Seeing his struggle, Saix came to his rescue.

"Don't worry, Megumi. This is a natural process, your body will simple bleed for a couple of days."

"A Couple of days?! I'll bleed out by then! So I am dying!" She began crying some more.

The others guys in the castle could sense her distress, along with Axel's and Saix's. But once they figured out what was troubling her they turned back around, leaving Axel and Saix in their predicament before they were even noticed. Then it came to Axel like a light bulb, causing him to jump up.

"Oh, I got it! Larxene will know what to do! I-I'll just... stay here for a second, I'll go get her!"

The video ended with Axel desperately dashing out of the room, nearly running into the camera; leaving an uncomfortable Saix alone with a crying Megumi, hoping that Axel would soon return. Then the video came back a month later. Judging by all the decoration around the castle it was Christmas time.

Megumi was out in front of the castle wearing a Santa Claus outfit, with a skirt instead of pants and a red Santa Claus hat cutely rested on her head. She was building what appeared to be a sled which she would eventually paint red, judging by all the paint cans. What surprised the First unit was Zexion walking over to her with five Ogretails harnessed by reins with silver bells.

"You do realize that this is not a good idea?" Zexion said to her in a lazy voice. Finishing up with what she needed on the sled she began to paint.

"Hmph, says you. The Aragami have taken the spirit out of the holidays. The people need this to help bring back their hopes and a little joy."

"Hn, and this reason is what gave you the sudden idea to prance around the area's Branch as Santa Claus to deliver presents to all the good little girls and boys."

"Actually, I've always wanted to do this for years. I've just never had the means to do this until today. And I'm not delivering just to the kids deemed 'good' by society, I'm delivering to all of them." Finish the paint job she got up to gather a red large bag of gifts, and home-made presents. The bag was three times the size of Megumi as she carried it above her head. Throwing it in the sled's backseats, it took up the whole back row.

"..."

"Tst, don't give me that look." She said looking at her brothers face. "Come on Zexion, it'll be fun!"

"(Sigh)"

"In the end you're still a good Santa's little helper."

"Just don't let this blow up in your face." He said, handing her the reins of the Ogretails.

"You present is in your room." She pulled out her Santa beard from her bag. Putting it on she gave him three final words. "Ho ho ho!"

The video ended and began a chaotic early morning Christmas Day later. The Den sirens rang loudly throughout the Branch as search lights shot out all around. The camera faced her, wind blew her hair and the fluffy tail of her hat back as she smack the reins of the Ogretails to make them go faster.

One Ogretail lead two rows of Ogretail as the fastest of the team, their reins jingled in the night- most likely giving away their position. The bag was long empty and the sled look like it had been shot at. As Megumi pushed the sled to go faster she kept berating herself.

"This is bad! This is bad! They're going to kill me!" A bomb was shot near her sled, she barely dodged it. "These people want to kill me! This 'was' a stupid idea! They're going to get me! Xemnas is going to KILL ME!"

A bomb went landed behind her sled causing it to flip. The last thing you hear is her shouted 'Whoa!' as she was being launched toward the camera, beard falling off, before the video just fuzzed off. Kota began to burst out laughing.

"Haha, oh my God, haha! She was the mysterious Santa Claus of the Branch! We talked about that Christmas in the Outer Ghetto for years! It really did bring out a good laugh." Calming down Kota wiped away a tear.

"That was her..." Soma couldn't believe it. He had met her once, oh so long ago.

_It was his first few weeks as a Gods Eater, he was twelve and lying in his official Fenrir assigned room. Due to his skill he was automatically place on the Veteran's Floor._

_He laid in his bed, trying his best attempts to go to sleep. But the Sandman always seemed to just evade him. He was always restless during the holidays. Everyone always pranced around with smiles, celebrating Christmas with their family and friends while he was always... alone._

_His father always sent him a gift, but he never made an actual appearance. Soma began to detest Christmas because it always brought out the special things everyone else had but took for granted that he could never have but secretly wanted._

_Just as his mind began to wonder his eyes snapped open. He felt a presence in his room, someone that had the scent of peppermint and candy cane. Soma remained still, his back turned toward the vigilante as he waited to see what they would do next. When he heard that rampaging through things he turned around and sat up, thinking they were going through his things._

_What greet him was a young girl in a Santa Claus outfit, he could tell by her petite body. Regardless of the ridiculous fake beard and skirt that gave her away. She was kneeling down on one knee, placing a bracelet made of Ogretail claws and Sariel headdress gems with a bow and card wrapped around it on his coffee table. The girl must have pulled it out of the big red, now emptied, sack she was dragging along._

_She turned to look at him, freezing in place like a deer in headlights, the moment she heard movement and turned to see him looking back at her. Soma couldn't really get a good look at her face with that big Santa Claus beard blocking half of it. But he got a good look at her vibrant blue sky eyes and long flowing brown hair coming from her Santa hat._

_"Ho ho ho, go back to sleep little boy." She said nervously in a jolly old St. Nick voice._

_"Who the heck are you?" He said with a raised eyebrow._

_"Why I'm Santa Claus." She kept playing along, she pointed her fingers and crossed her arms like a gangster. "Check it."_

_"Bull, if you're Santa Claus then I'm Jack Frost."_

_"With an icy attitude like that you might as well be." She said, cutting the act and speaking normally._

_"What do you expect to happen when you break into someone's room." He retorted, crossing his arms along the way. "How did you get in here anyway?"_

_"I came through the chimney, ho ho ho."_

_"Get real."_

_"Fine, through the magic of Christmas."_

_"Pfft, please. There's no such thing as magic in this world, only darkness." Her eyes saddened at his words._

_"Do you really believe that?"_

_"I do, and you'd best grow up and face the reality of it too." He was caught off guard when she somehow shortened the distance between them in a second to pop a candy cane into his mouth._

_"I feel sorry for you..."_

_"!"_

_"Has life run you down so much you've lost the wonder the world has to offer before you even lost all your baby teeth?"_

_"..."_

_"You must not lose the ability to dream, or you'll lose all your hopes and prayers. Your world will be much brighter if you don't lose that sense of wonder. A powerful dream will always be enough to light the darkness."_

_"..."_

_"Now I've got a present for you to give you a start." She said leaning back up straight and handed his present directly to him. "Hope you like it, most of the gifts are hand-made."_

_Studying the gift for a second he looked back up to her and move the candy cane to the side of his mouth._

_"Hmph, don't expect any milk and cookies."_

_"That's okay, I've got a loose tooth anyway." She gave him a big smile he could see through her beard lifting slightly and held the bracelet out to him. "Merry Christmas!"_

_He slowly reached for the bracelet in her hands, afraid to touch it only to realize that this was all a dream. The bracelet was cool to the touch on his finger tips. She smiled wider at him as he held it in his hands and examined it. Her giggles brought his eyes back to her. Something about her voice was exciting the Aragami inside him._

_"What's you're name?"_

_"Santa Claus."_

_"I meant you're real name."_

_"St. Nicholas."_

_"You're really going to play this out all the way, aren't you?"_

_"Yup!" She happily grinned at him, causing him to grin as well._

_"Hmph, I'm surprised you didn't come here in a sled."_

_"I did! It's parked out front of this..." Her eyes lost their twinkled as a realization kicked in. She had left her sled run by Ogretails in front of the Den of the God Eaters. "Uh oh."_

_"What's up?" Suddenly the alarms started going off._

_"Whoops."_

He remembered her rushing off as she fled the premises, never getting the chance to get her name. That was the best Christmas he ever had, he even still kept the bracelet in his top drawer, and it was all thanks to that mysterious cute girl who broke into his room that early Christmas morning. Now that mystery was finally solved. He could imagine her running around the Ghettos in her sled, breaking through windows to deliver presents to the kids. How the kids must have reacted to the extra gift on the kitchen table.

The video started again. Megumi had her head hanging low, burns and all, as her family chastised her for her actions.

"It would seem that the actions of our king has brought too much attention to us. We will have to leave this area for a while, things will settle down eventually." Xemnas sentenced.

"I-I'm sorry... everyone..."

"Do not stress yourself child. We were planning to leave soon anyway. It's best for us not to focus on one area for too long." Xemnas went on. "It's time that you got to see the world, Megumi."

The video ended and started again. They were all gathered in a new base out in the lands of England. Megumi was twelve years old, her body was starting to develop.

"My brothers and sisters, a joyest day this is," Xemnas said. "Today the final sibling has been born, for Father has stated he shall make no more. A new member of the family now wears the coat."

A young Roxas came to the center of the room as they all got a look at him from their thrones. He was a boy of only ten, but his eyes lost their innocence and wonder. They were so empty it frightened Megumi.

"No. **14**, Roxas." Xemnas introduced him to the others. "He has no last name nor a family. He's survived so far on his own until Father adopted him. Now, as a barer of the coat we welcome you into our little band of misfits. Welcome to the family, Roxas."

The video stopped there and started with Axel and Megumi training Roxas in a secluded forest in Ireland.

"Man, why am I always stuck with the babysitting duty?" Axel complained.

"Because you're good with kids."

"Oh ha ha." Axel said sarcastically, giving Megumi a shove.

"Well, let's get started with you're abilities." Megumi got back on topic, addressing Roxas. "Like we explained before, we need to see what kind of Aragami you are. Can you transform for us?"

"..." Emotionlessly, Roxas transformed into a Fallen Chi-You, his eyes were still empty.

"Good! A familiar Aragami, we can work with this." Megumi cheered, getting no reaction from Roxas. "You're a closed off one, aren't you?"

"..."

"Talk about a total Zombie."

"Axel!" Megumi berated then turned back to Roxas. "(Sigh) It's okay... you can talk whenever you're ready. For now let's get you use to your abilities."

The video ended with her getting into a fighting stance and started again with the three of them fighting two Gboros in a rundown Power-plant in Russia.

Roxas was in human form and had somehow formed a strange weapon. It was a blade that had Fallen Chi-You wings at its tip making it look like a giant key. Most likely the others probably joked about it being a 'Key blade.'

The boy was as emotionless and hollow as ever. He slightly showed a hint of sparkle when dealing with Megumi and Axel, but he was still closed off. He fought and there was nothing more to it.

"Remember to go for the lower canons and teeth, Roxas!" Axel reminded. Roxas replied with a nod and went at it.

As Axel took on one, Megumi and Roxas worked together on the other. Puddles were found all over due to the previous rain from the day before.

Roxas was standing in one of these puddles when he knocked the Gboros back into a Power-pole. The impact was strong enough for it to knock down the poll, breaking off the wires. The Power-plant was rundown, but still active. As the wires shot back, one of them was going to land in Roxas's puddle.

"Roxas!" Megumi cried out, pushing him out of the puddle. She fried up like a criminal in an electric chair. The electrocuting stopped once all the water had dissolved. Megumi laid on the ground, smoke coming off her body. Roxas got up to look at what just happened, gasping with wide eyes at the state of Megumi.

Running up to her, he held her upper body in his arms. "...Megumi?" She gave him no response. Fear came over him and his eyes began to water, this was the most any of them had seen Roxas expressing himself.

The Gboro got back up and angrily roared at Roxas. With watery furious eyes, Roxas met its gaze.

"Darn you! Ahrrr!" Changing fully into a Fallen Chi-You, Roxas twirled punched it and shot a divine ball directly into its mouth. The Aragami was destroyed from the inside.

Axel saw what happened and ran over to Megumi, along with a transforming back Roxas.

"Megumi! Is she going to be alright?" Roxas asked in concern.

"She'll be fine, just give her a second. Axel assured him. "You know, this is the first time you've actually said a full sentence to us."

"Well..." But Megumi started to cough back to life, drawing their eyes back down to her as she tiredly opened her eyes.

"Ugh... I feel like fried chicken." She said, slowly sitting up.

"Glad to see you up, princess." Axel said, patting her shoulder.

"Can't keep me down that easily."

"Megumi... thank you." Megumi smiled at Roxas and began playfully rubbing his head.

"Of course, that's what you do in a family, you look out for each other."

"Well, I think we've all earned an ice-cream bar for this." Axel said, while he and Roxas helped Megumi get back on her feet. "C'mon, I'll treat my cute little siblings."

For the first time... Roxas smiled.

The video ended and started again a month later. They all were in South America, fighting an army of Sariel, Fallen Sariel,and Tezcatlipocas, an advanced species of Quadriga. Missiles and poisonous gas stormed the area from both sides as they mercilessly fought their way through... as a family.

The video fuzzed off and began again months later. They were back in London. Megumi was spying on Xemnas from the bushes along with Roxas as Xemnas conversed with a beautiful young woman with short blue hair, blue eyes, and a designer blue dress that only the Higher crust could have the customization afforded.

She had an air of grace and kindness that Megumi had noticed was drawing in her brother. Xemnas never showed signs of attraction toward other beings. He even ignored the on going affection of the beautiful women they kept meeting during their travels. But here he was... flirting with a young woman with lovely aqua blue eyes.

Megumi could practically see the chemistry between the two, but Xemnas never seemed to act on it. He made the group stay in this area longer than usual, they all knew he did it for her but he failed to make a move. All he needed was a little push out of the door.

That's why Megumi decided to intervene for her brother's sake. So there she was, hiding in the bush in a Purely Cupid outfit with a bow and rubber arrows while Roxas held a basket of cherry blossom petals. She checked the area thoroughly for Aragami before commencing her plan, so she wouldn't have any hidden surprises.

Jumping out and surprising them, she shot them both with rubber arrows while Roxas threw the petals up in the air toward them. Megumi gave the woman the cutest puppy dog eyes, wiggling around in her spot.

"Please go out with my brother. He's really nice but very shy... and has a hard time expressing himself. But... he really likes you, pretty lady."

The woman giggled and smiled warmly at the kids before turning it toward Xemnas. "She's adorable, what a cute little sister you have Xemnas."

"Yes, she is." Xemnas agreed slightly embarrassed about what just happened. The woman came over to the kids and knelt down to their level.

"What's you're names?" She asked in a gentle voice like a calm stream.

"I'm Megumi."

"And I'm Roxas."

"Hm, such lovely names. I'm Aqua." Her smile was so warm and full heart. "You both must really love your brother a lot to go through all this trouble."

"We do! We'd gladly help in any way we can to make him happy, just like he would for us." Megumi said with pride. Aqua's smile grew bigger.

"That's so sweet. What a loving family you guys have." She then stood up and twirled to face Xemnas. "I think I will take you up on that offer."

"Wha-" Xemnas blushed pronouncedly as she gently placed two fingers on his lips, causing her to giggle.

"I'll see you at seven in the Town Square. Don't be late, okay?" All Xemnas could to was nod in response. She smiled and placed an innocent kiss on his cheek before she began to walk away. "See you later, Xemnas."

Xemnas gently caressed the cheek she kissed, watching her walk away.

"..."

"You're welcome, Xemnas. Tell us how it went afterwards." Was all Megumi needed to say. They both knew what he was thinking.

The video ended and started again. They had returned to the castle after such a long time. At this point Megumi was thirteen, her body was showing signs of pre-maturity. All of them where hanging out in the living room, with the exception of Marluxia.

All was calm until Marluxia stormed in bringing with him a gust of wind full of rose petals and a bouquet of roses.

"W-what's all this?" Larxene said in disbelief. She was taken aback by how serious Marluxia looked. "W-what are you doing, Mar?"

"Many a times I've tried to win your heart to no avail. My attempts were half hearted and juvenile, it's no wonder you kept rejecting me. If you were ever to take me seriously I must court you with all my heart on the line." She blushed as he approached her. Marluxia handed her the bouquet without a care of the others in the room. All eyes were on them, but his never left hers. "Larxene, I ask you again, will you give me the honor of accompany me on a date?"

"... (Sigh) I guess... I could give you a try. What harm could it do."

"Thank you," taking her hand Marluxia gave it a kiss.

"Ha! It's about time!" Xigbar jeered at them.

"Congratulations, you two make a lovely couple." Zexion lazily added in.

"Nice show Marluxia," Axel laughed out.

"Indeed, the flowers were so pretty." Roxas nicely added in. "But, where'd you get all the flowers?"

"A small sacrifice on the courtyard that was worth the prize." A jolt went down Megumi's spine at Marluxia's answer.

"But the amount of roses needed to create that storm would be..." She stood up from her seat. "Oh no."

Sprinting from the room, Xigbar, Demyx, and Axel laughed at Megumi's antics.

"Haha, into the castle with one girl and out in the doghouse with another. You just can't win, huh Marluxia." Xigbar teased.

"Man, you're in trouble with Megumi now." Axel shook his head in partial pity for Marluxia.

"I'm sure she'll forgive and forget about this by tomorrow."

"I don't know about that," Roxas added in. "Megumi really loves her flowers."

"Not to mention the labor it'll take her to grow them back by hand again." Vexen added in.

As if proving the point a tiny cry rang through the castle.

"Nooooooooooooooooooo."

The video came to an end and started again. Megumi and Roxas were sneaking into the lab that was forbidden to go to. At this point Megumi was fourteen years old while Roxas was twelve.

"Megumi, I'm starting to think that this wasn't such a good idea." Roxas said, staying close to Megumi. "This place creeps me out."

"There's no way we can turn back now, we've come too far, aren't you curious of the place Father came from."

As they waled around they all began to see the horrors that took place in this Laboratory. Bloody examining tables, destroyed rooms, and cages were stacked on top of one another like some kind of storage facility. A chill went down their spines as they saw some of the bones of the scientist still remained.

Her senses heightened as she spotted one cage, that could barely fit two grown adults, separated from the others. It called out to her with a familiarity. It stood in the center of the room, trails of blood dragged from it- or was it being dragged into it? Megumi gently touched its bars as the realization sank into her.

"This is Father's cage..." Roxas became anxious, he could have sworn he saw the shadow's move.

"I've seen enough, Megumi. Let's go."

"Yes, I guess we're done here."

A growl startled the two as they entered back into the hallway. They turned toward the direction from wince it came. Out of the shadows came the ugliest Aragami they had ever seen, it was as if all the evils of this building deformed it into its image. It looked like a mutated crocodile with extra legs and purple scales. It drooled at them in hunger.

"I thought you said that all the Aragami escaped from here?" Roxas asked with disbelief. The fear that was already taking over them was preventing them from transforming. They were sitting ducks right now and they knew it.

"They were suppose to be." Her voice attracted the Aragami, causing it to charge at them. "Run!"

They ran for their lives, jumping pass tossed around lab supplies and equipment as the Aragami simply charged through relentlessly. Their distress should've already alerted the others. They were most likely in big trouble, but if they didn't get out of this place soon they'll be dead.

In their flight out the Laboratory they almost failed to notice that this lab was on a tiny island and almost ran off the steep cliff. Ground to a halt they turned to watch the Aragami close in on them. Being the older sibling and the immortal one Megumi got in front of Roxas and prepared for the worse.

Just as it almost reached them, Azriel came down upon it. Crashing its skull into the ground he ripped out its core from its center with his bare hand. Feeling the Aragami was unworthy for devouring he crushed its core in his hand. Megumi and Roxas could've sworn they heard a shrieking scream come from it.

"**Those who let the darkness consume them fail to see how it traps them in its clutches. They continue to serve it and its false power, blinded of how it keeps them from ever leaving as they suffer.**" He said not looking at the two.

"Father..." Megumi was shocked and somewhat happy to see him again.

"You came..." Roxas couldn't believe he would be the one to come to their aid. From what he heard Father was terrified of this place.

Azriel finally turned to them. Anger coated his face, but his eyes shown of relief and fear. "**Never come to this place again. The darkness has driven ones on this hell-hole-of-a-rock mad.**"

Grabbing the two like footballs he flew off again the island. Landing in an area close to the Sunken Grid, Xemnas was there to greet them. He was vexed, arms crossed and body tensed.

"Thank you for retrieving them, Father."

"**Hm...**" Putting them down Azriel flew up straight into the air. He disappeared in the clouds.

With Azriel no longer there the two were left alone to deal with Xemnas's anger.

"Xemnas I-"

"You deliberately defied me." They could hear the disappointment in his voice and that hurt worse than any punishment.

"Xemnas, please don't be mad at Roxas, it was my I idea. I-I'm sorry..."

"Enough, we're going home." He walked ahead of them, they followed behind with their heads hanging low. "I'm just glad you're both alright."

The video ended and began again on a beach off the coast of England. Roxas was walking along side a now sixteen year old Megumi, she had developed nicely and still had more to go.

"C'mom sis, you gotta meet her. She's really nice, and pretty too." Roxas's face was practically blushing all over.

"(Giggle) I suppose I must. I'm looking forward to meeting the girl who won my little brother's heart. Tell me, does the fair young lady have a name?"

"Her name's Namine, she's thirteen, she lives in a house close to the shore. She's an artist." He continued to blush like a goofball as he described her.

"Ooh an artist, you picked a really good one. Means that she's creative."

"Haha, she is. Her art's really good." Roxas grinned at his sister before turning his attention back up front. He smiled brightly as he spotted a figure in the distance. "Ah, there she is!"

Megumi shook her head in loving affection when Roxas ran off ahead to meet the girl.

"Namine!" His boots crunched in the sand. He walked up to a girl sitting on a stool as she painted the ocean on a canvas. Her golden hair was loosely tied in a braid and hung over one shoulder. Her bangs were long, but they did nothing to hide her beautiful blue eyes. Being from England the sun never damaged her porcelain skin, even with living so close to the beach. She was lovely as she wore a simple yet modest short white summer dress. At the sound of his voice she turned to him and smiled.

"Roxas... it's good to see you again."

"Y-yeah, you too." He rubbed the back of his head only realizing a second later that Megumi was there. "Oh, this is my older sister, Megumi."

"It's nice to finally meet you, Namine. Roxas has been talking a lot about you." She smiled down at Namine, tilting to the side to get a good look at her painting. "Roxas was right, you are a really good artist."

"(Gasp) Thank you, I've been practicing really hard."

"It shows, your work shows your heart."

"Yes, but I still have a long ways to go." She smiled then looked off into the distance. "I hope that one day my art can bring joy to people just as they do to me. Even a little, I want to make others smile."

"Hm, I like her Roxas. She has my stamp of approval."

"?" Namine tilted her head in confusion.

"Heh heh," Roxas happily grinned at his sister's consent.

"I best leave you two love birds alone now." Megumi said walking passed them, holding her hands in front of her. "I've always wanted to visit a beach, but never got a chance to."

"You're sister's nice." Namine said once Megumi was further up shore. "Just like your brother, Axel."

"Heh ha, yeah. My family's big but those two are the siblings I'm the closest with. Both your and their approval means a lot to me."

"You're a sweet boy, Roxas." Namine smiled into her hand. "I hope it never fades away."

"!" Off in the distance, just as Megumi was walking along the shore a Gboro jumped out of the sea at her.

"?" Just as Namine was about to turn around to see what had startled Roxas, he began to distract attention to himself as Megumi punched the Gboro into the sand and ripped off its jaw.

"Ah, it's nothing Namine. I was just taken aback by the detail of your painting." Roxas chimed in. "The clouds look so real."

"Hm mph, that's what I love about clouds. One is never the same as another. They all come in different colors and hues, it's like a fluffy rainbow. And they don't stay the same making them a spur of the moment art of nature. You draw one at one time it'll change into something else later." While Namine spoke, behind her Megumi had ripped out the Gboro's core. Devouring the core and kicking the body far off into the ocean, Megumi ran off into the trees to burst.

"!" A light from the trees behind them drew Namine's attention. "What was that?"

Nervously following her, Roxas and Namine ran off toward the source. What greeted them was a relaxed Megumi, leaning on a tree, chewing on some fruit, surrounded by flowers.

"Megumi, did you see a light just now?" Namine asked. Megumi's only reply was pulling out a picture camera from behind her back.

The video stopped and started again with Megumi weeks later. She had returned to Japan and now stood on the edge of a rocky cliff on the ocean side. The ocean breeze blew her hair back as she looked out at its great blue, the camera was facing her side. She began to sing, her voice had become more angelic as the time passed.

"Sometimes I feel happy

Sometimes I feel blue

In my dreams of I wish I could

Feel my hair blowing in the wind

See the sky in the summer rain

Pick a flower from the garden

For you

Beyond the land's there's another world

Butterflies floating in the air

Is there someone out there

For me?

And so life goes on

day to day

With knick-knacks on the floor

nooks and crannies.

I live in a tiny world.

Out there

Someone waits for me.

I wish I had someone

to watch over

Me.

In my dreams of I wish I could

Feel my hair blowing in the wind

See the sky in the summer rain

Pick a flower from the garden

For you.

Now I know there's another world

Butterflies floating in the air

Is someone out there

For Me?"

She snag out to the ocean, but Soma felt like she was calling out to him.

"Feel my hair blowing in the wind

See the sky in the summer rain

Pick a flower from the garden

For you.

Now I know there's another world

Butterflies floating in the air

Is someone out there

For me?"

She turned wistfully away from the ocean and began to leave. The camera turned off after that. It turned on again with Megumi inside her room in the castle. She sat by her bed beside her packed luggage.

"Xemnas says that we're ready to go off on our own... that we each have a responsibility to protect a continent." She smiled sadly, looking up into the camera. "Xemnas and Roxas are going to England to protect Europe, most likely to stay close to their girlfriends. Marluxia and Larxene went to North America.

"Oh, I almost forgot, they're married now. Yeah, tied the knot when I was fifteen. I would have recorded it but I got a copy of the ceremony on another disk. It was a lovely reception and only a few of my flowers had to die for it. Vexen and Zexion look after South America, while Luxord looks after them. Lexaeus and Xaldin have Africa, and Demyx and Xigbar look after Australia.

"Asia has been split up between Saix, Axel, and me since it's so big. Axel looks after Russia; Saix looks after China and the other countries around it; while I look after the coast islands."

Her smile turned grim. "It looks like I got the lucky pick out of the bunch. I get to stay close to home and I have the lease amount of area to protect. And yet... I feel so lonely. Everyone's no longer a room apart, I feel like I'm losing my family again."

Suddenly she began to perk up. "What am I saying? We're a family. We'll always be one, no matter how far apart we are. Whenever one of us is in trouble we'll be there for them."

A genuine smile returned to her face, grabbing her bag she got up from her bed. "I'm going to return to my old home. It's been a while since I visited my mother, I think I'll stay there from now on." She titled her head and smiled warmly. "See you soon."

The video turned off and started again with Megumi walking up the family hill where her mother was buried. The climb would have led to a happy ending, that is until she looked upon her mother's dug up grave. In a shock she sprinted to the grave and looked around for her mother's remains, it was gone.

Enraged she sniffed the area to pick up where her mother's scent was being taken. Apparently the scent was still fresh, who ever had done this had done it recently, it lead her pass the family's forest. She would find who was responsible for this, human or not she would destroy them.

What she came upon disgusted her. The grave robber wasn't a human but an Aragami. It was an advanced female version of an Ouroboros, it went by the name of the Greek goddess, Venus, for its pursuit for beauty. However, the human body of a beautiful woman for a face was different than normal... It was her mother, stitches and all, just like the day she had buried her.

"You monsters! Not only do you mutilate her body, you defiled her grave! You will die for this!"

She was angry, far more angry than she had ever been before. Her Aragami transformation was almost instant, more powerful... different. The temperature dropped 40 degrees around her. She didn't turn into a fiery Hannibal... she became an icy Bahamut.

Her scales turned blue; the large pack on her back turned into two wing bones; blades rested on her lower arm. But what was the most frightening about her was that her horns curved back into a halo crown and her eyes were a neon icy blue. Her breath was like winter and it frosted everything it touched. The Terminal had whispered horrible legends about this frostbitten killer, those who encountered it began to fear the cold. They called it a Caligula.

Megumi didn't know what happened, she didn't care. She just pounced at the Venus's face and ripped/pulled her mother out of its body. It cried out when she succeeded and began to wildly fling about. Megumi fought back, but its skin began to harden around each opened weak spot.

Angered by this her eyes turned into a neon crimson, icy cold breath spewed from her mouth. Going to the floor she summoned a blizzard from her body, freezing the Venus in place. Pulling out the frost wings from her back wing bones she took off into the air. Flying at the Venus she took out her arm blades and slices the Venus into pieces. By the time she was done the terrain was frozen over, a fresh coat of snow covered the forest. Now she understood the anger Father must have felt when he was driven to crush that Aragami's core those many years ago. She wanted to crush the retched thing, she wanted to pulverize it into little specks of dust. But the risk of her mother being trapped in there stopped her, she devoured the core and released a burst.

The Venus was gone, but her over burst of Oracle Cells attracted more Aragami. Prithvi Matas, the female advance species of Vajra's, circled the area. They eyed Megumi and her mother's body like a first meal in days. But Megumi was too emotional at the moment, there was no way she'd be able to keep all those Aragamis away from her mother.

She tried piercing them with frost spears and summoned giant ice stalagmites. However, these Aragami were immune to such elements, the damage had little effect. They were pushing her back to the point all she could do was shield her mother with her body.

The Prithvi Matas had just closed in and were ready to pounce. Before they could complete their first move a dark Hannibal pounced on the one that pounced first, in mid air. Tackling the Prithvi Mata to the ground the dark Hannibal bit into its jugular and ripped off its head.

Blood dripped out its jaw as it looked upon the remaining Prithvi Matas. It summoned blades of onyx flame from its arms as it sliced through them all. The Hannibal was literally melting them by the touch, it almost looked corrosive.

However, through it all, the mysterious Hannibal showed no signs of hostility toward Megumi. Once the deed was done it turned back around to look at her. Megumi changed back into human form, holding her mother close as she looked it in the eyes. There was something familiar about them, she was afraid of this Aragami, almost as if she knew this Aragami all her life.

A strange urge came over her, as if something inside her had possessed her body to make her do what she did next... She called out to the beast.

"I-... is that you, dad?" The beast's eyes widened at her addressing of it. Almost like the beast was recalling a fading memory. Shaking off the fuzzy thoughts it ran away. "Ah, wait!"

But it was gone. Leaving her and her mother alone in the tainted crimson snow. Carrying her mother on her back she walked toward home. Taking her mother back to her hill, Megumi repaired her mothers coffin and placed her back in her grave.

"Mom... I'm sorry. I couldn't protect you a second time. But..." She smiled down warmly at her mother as she started to close the casket. "I promise to look after your sleep from now on."

Jumping out of the hole she filled it in. With a burst from the remaining cores that other Hannibal didn't devour she restored the land to the condition it was before that fateful day of the Aragami attack.

"Dad... that was you wasn't it?" She said looking off into the distance from whence she came from. "Dad, tell me where you are?" A wind blew through her, coming from the east. Taking a whiff of it Megumi picked up the familiar scent. Without a moment to lose she headed back into the forest, toward the scent of the Corrosive Hannibal.

The video turned off then turned back on again. By this time the sun was long gone and the moon was high. Megumi had walked all the way off her farm and out of the surrounding forest. She was now in a dry area filled with nothing more than dirt and stones. Boulders towered along each other and the full moon lit her way. She continued along until she finally found the Hannibal, leaning on its knees on top of a big boulder as its tail fell limply to the floor.

Picking up her presence it let out a low rumble and watched her from the corner of its eyes.

"Hey... are you there papa?" Its head turned fully toward her. Its rumble grew louder and almost resembled a purr. "Wake up."

It jumped off its boulder and slowly approached her. Looking down at Megumi it hesitantly reached out to touch her. She smiled up at the Hannibal's possible recognition of her; but, then her eyes saddened at the state her father was in.

"I'm sorry, dad..." Her eyes watered as it tilted its head questionably at her. "I'm sorry for not... for not being able to save you or mom."

A twitch came over the Hannibal, backing away it clinched its head. Recovering from its inner pain it growled at Megumi and charged at her. Sadden by this Megumi transformed into a Hannibal to defend herself. Hands clenched together they wrestled each other for dominance. Light verses darkness, in the battle of the beast. Taking a cheap shot, the Corrosive Hannibal bit into her shoulder. Roaring out in surprised pain she kicked into its gut, knocking the Corrosive Hannibal off her.

She was about to jump on it again when it used its tale to knock her down. Once down it pounced on her, causing them both to rumble and tumble on the ground. With a punch to the face, Megumi was able to get on top.

"I love you, dad. But this is for your own good." The glowing lines came over her body while she was in Aragami form. With a battle cry she slammed her hand onto the center of its chest. "Wake up!"

A bright light shined from her hand, blinding the area in a white light. Once it faded, Megumi was back to being human holding up the upper body of her half transformed father.

"Come on dad, are you alive, don't you feel?... Show me you're here, show me you're tears, tell me something, anything... Please, just show me you're human, can't you feel?" Megumi pleaded to him with a gentle shake. His eyes slowly opened, he was weary and so very tired. With a struggle he lifted his human size Corrosive Hannibal arm to cup her cheek in his hand.

"Hey, sweetie. You've gotten so big... glad to see you again."

"Dad!" She smiled, glumping him for a hug. "I thought you were dead... all this time."

"In a way I was..." Doragon answered. "Where have you been? What happened to you?"

"It's a long story, I'll tell you later." Then she sighed. "I'm sorry, dad. You're not a Child of Misfortune. You'll be able to transform into an Aragami when ever you please, but you'll never be able to change back fully into human."

"After so many years of wondering I barely recall I ever was human."

"Don't worry, we'll work on that together." Megumi said, helping her father back on his feet. He used his tail to cover his privates. "Let's go home."

"Thanks, baby girl." Leaning on Megumi's shoulder, Doragon and Megumi headed home. "You've been going to school, right?"

The video ended and started again with Megumi in her Shijo Gakuen High School uniform surrounded by fellow female school mates. Like teenagers, they giggled and goofed around with the camera.

"(Giggle) C'mon Megumi, smile! Since you can't talk you can at least grace the future generations with your smile."

"Leave her alone Kairi, can't you see the class protege is shy. She's been home-schooled for so long this all must still be new to her."

"You can't pamper her too much or she'll close herself off. Now come on Megumi, let's see that big smile." With a silent giggle, Megumi gave her a big angelic smile. Kairi rewarded Megumi with a hug. "Atta-girl! But don't turn into a lazy bum like Sora (Giggle)."

The camera ended and started again on a night out in the Forgotten Carrier. At this point Megumi was seventeen years old and recently joined Fenrir. She was sitting down on the uplift on the bridge, leaning on her knees as strange human and wolf like Aramgami laid beneath her.

"Fenrir came to collect me two days ago... I'm officially a Gods Eater now." She put her God Arc in front of her and held it by the pommel. "This is my God Arc, its beautiful isn't it.

"(Sigh) I... I left my father again. How sad... but... it's not as sad as other things. Like... facing the consequences of my choice. I'll never be able to talk around these people that I'll be working with... I can never truly trust them.

"And they most likely know this and don't trust me either, I know Soma does. I most likely will be living in a cage every time I enter the Den. But I... I didn't come here for friends."

She then looked up at the camera with a serious look in her eyes.

"There's something going on in the Branch. The Aragami have been acting up recently, something has been drawing them and me to this Branch. As guardian of these islands I'm bound to investigate this possible threat. And also..." Her eyes started to sadden.

"And also Fenrir can give me something that my family most likely never could, or anyone else for that matter. I'd tell them but I'm kinda scared of what their reactions would be. That's it for now, I have to get back before someone notices that I'm gone. Until next time."

She got up and turned off the camera, the camera turned on again a few nights later. It was the time when Lindow and Soma followed Megumi out into the ruin city. She had jumped into that crack in the ground, which lead deep under the city.

The area was surrounded by rumble and remains of buildings hung on the walls. Fresh water gently flooded into the stone and brick floor, the water reflected a blue glow that lit up the area. An Oracle Cell enhanced Japanese Oak Tree glowed white in it bark, while its leaves glowed a light green. A few fireflies flew around the place, this place was beautiful yet so stranage.

She sat on a stack of rumble with her feet soaking in the water. Her boots laid beside her as she addressed the camera.

"The others are starting to catch on to me, especially Soma. I can't believe they actually followed me here, I though I would've lost them once I got pass the Wall. Man, they're persistent.

"I can't let anybody find out what I am or else it's not just me who'll be in danger but my family as well. They actually came back to the area today, they're most likely not happy with me joining Fenrir. They all say it's too dangerous, too close to second-party enemies and mad scientist who can't tell the line between knowledge and humanity. But something strange has been going on in these parts. Apparently the Aragami have been acting up in their areas as well. Something big is going down, I can feel it.

"But its much harder to find out what that is with Soma always on my back. If I didn't know any better I'd say he was coming on to me. And to be honest I wouldn't mind that at all... What?! Don't judge me, it's not like I'll be alive for whenever somebody finds this disk, I'll be honest. I can feel a hidden attraction and tension around him, it's starting to get smothering." And then a blush came on her face and sly smile." And you know... actually I don't mind... Yeah, I'd hit that... (Bits lower lip with an inhale) so hard."

All heads slowly turned to Soma who's skin had turned a cherry red and steam came from his head. Blushes graced the girls while the guys gave him a sly smile. Kota and Lindow even gave him a thumb's up.

A roar from the video brought their attention back to the video. Megumi looked at the crack above where the noise came from.

"(Sigh) I better go now, looks like the boys are in trouble." She slowly turns into a Hannibal. "Ugh, I've been getting more hungry recently. Seriously, what's going on? But 'that' is a question I'll have to find the answer to another day."

The video ended as she floated up the crack with her fire wings. Starting again the next day, the video started after that terrible first mission with Soma. She sat on the ground, with knees bent, next to the Ogretail that had devoured Eric. Her eyes were so lifeless as she looked up at the sky.

"... I killed him... I killed Eric. I may not have been the one to devour him but I was the one who had the chance to stop it and did nothing. But it's not just my lack of action that disgust me... The thing is... the whole thing actually excited me. I enjoyed watching that Oregtail eat Eric... _**it made me** **hungry**_**.**" she grabbed her head and began to shake the thoughts from her mind.

"But that isn't me... I didn't like it... That thing! That nightmare! She's always watching from the darkness, always waiting. But... no I can never let her out! If I did that, God, what would I be?! No! no, I let my inner madness control me. How could I have been so weak to allow that, I ate last night. I can't sleep anymore, I can't truly live! It's trapping me in a corner. It... perhaps, I will have to use my plans for Fenrir sooner than I thought." Slowly she began to calm down and lowered her hands from her head.

"But for now... no more. I've had enough of the madness inside me ruling my body. No more feeding; no more bursting; and no more Aragami night runs. I'm tired of being different, I want to be... normal. Maybe this is all a mind thing, perhaps if I fight against the hunger hard enough the cravings will fade away. But before that..."

She looked back down at the Ogretail and got closer. "I'm going to correct what I've wronged. There's still time, if I act now I can fix this. This'll be the last time... I'll use my powers."

Taking a deep breath she-

"Ahhh Ahhh Ah Ha Haaa Ahh!" As she screamed out the Ogretail began to transform into... Eric! A heavy breath of life came out of Eric as he continued to remain unconscious. Megumi looked into the camera with sad eyes.

"I used my abilities as king to make the Oracle Cells from Eric's body to reform back his body. If he wasn't a Gods Eater I could never have been able to do this. I've done all I can for him the rest is up to him and God. If whoever see's this ever see's the family of Eric or meets him yourself... Tell him I'm sorry. I... I hope you've enjoyed my final words."

With that the video turned off... for good this time. Looks like the show... is over.


	22. Chapter 22

They say the blind pursuit of knowledge leads to madness, can't man accept that there are things in this world that they are not meant to know.

The Unfortunate Specimens

They all stared at the Terminal screen even aft the video stopped. They had just watched Megumi's whole life flash before them in a three hour movie time span.

"My God... no wonder why she kept calling herself 'Misfortune.'" Sakuya said with teary eyes.

"This... actually explains a lot," commented Dr. Sakaki.

"To think... she's been carrying baggage like this around with her all this time. She should learn to trust people more!"

"People were judging her when she was mute, Kota. What do you think would happen if they had found out what she really was?" Lindow lectured to Kota.

"..."

"It wasn't just her life on the line it was her family's." Alisa added in. "There's no way she could've exposed herself. But to think... she risked it all in the end to help us..."

"And now she's in the hands of the S.O.B. father of mine. God knows what those bastards are doing to her now." Soma said, his anger started to rise. "And we don't have anymore time to lose. We gotta find out where they've taken her."

"Most likely to Aegis Island?" Dr. Sakaki.

"Aegis Island? Why would they send her there?" Kota questioned. "Isn't that where they're working on the Aegis Project."

"The Ark Project is more like it." Lindow corrected.

"What?" They all said, looking to Lindow and Dr. Sakaki.

"(Sigh) Everyone head for the basement, there's a passage way that leads directly to Aegis Island," said Dr. Sakaki. "I think its about time you've heard the truth."

Suddenly a bomb shook out through the Den, knocking out the power.

"What was that?!" Soma asked.

"I don't know," Dr. Sakaki honestly answered. "But don't no worries. The back up generator will be kicking in soon... Oh!"

A red light began to flash in the room, Dr. Sakaki began to panic.

"Doctor! I knew you were there!" Rang the voice of the Director over the announcer.

"Oh my God! I'm screwed!" Dr. Sakaki cried out.

"What the... what's going on?!" Soma demanded.

"We're screwed. I told you, during emergencies the backup electric is controlled by the Center... They're stripping the room of all information, monitor and computer wise."

"You mean... don't tell me it's that bastard father of mine!"

"I'm afraid so. The Director made this place so that most of the rooms were monitored and bugged. Looks like... our cover is blown."

*** Meanwhile, during the time they were watching the tape, on Aegis Island ***

Megumi sat on her knees inside a large cylindrical test tube. Dr. Oguruma and the Director observed her as she stared at them with with defiant eyes.

Computer screens connected to the tube read her Oracle Cell activity of her body and kept a radio monitor on her vitals. At the moment her Oracle Cell count was stable, she seemed to be a normal Gods Eater by all accounts.

"I don't understand, Johannes." Dr. Oguruma said confounded. "She showed Aragamic activity previously, why does it lye dormant now?"

"Patience Dr. Oguruma, she's resisting. The child will break eventually." The Director stared at the poor girl. He found it eery that she was wearing his son's coat like a dress. "It would appear that my son is quite taken with you. Tell me, what kind of trickery did you used to seduce him?"

"?!"

"He didn't tell you? I'm his father and unfortunately for you I'll be the one to make sure you never see each other again."

"..." She adverted her eyes from them.

"You can drop the act now, Ms. Sato. We all know you're not mute." She looked to him, her head slightly tilted. Anger by her lack of participation he went to hit a switch on the computer. Electricity ran through her test tube, shocking her. Megumi's mouth and eyes opened wide, but no cry came out. "Now we can do this the easy way Ms. Sato, or we can do this the hand way."

"I lost my fears to Oblivion." She said defiantly at him. Her Oracle Cell activity began to rise on the computer screen.

"Hm, it appears her Aragami characteristics are linked to her voice, most likely to her voice box. "Dr. Oguruma concluded. "Keep her talking, I'll see what I can find."

"What exactly are you Ms. Sato? What have you become?"

She pushed herself backward to lean her back on the glass. Not looking at the Director she gazed upward into the light.

"We are creatures of the wind. It gets easier when we give in. Fallen, gently to our fate. Blood of our enemies rained on our skin."

The meter was rising. Monitors of the other captive Aragami showed them acting up at the sound of her voice. Dr. Oguruma continued to monitor her vitals.

"That was not answering my question. I asked what are you?"

"The nightingale in the golden cage. That's me, locked inside reality's maze. Found someone who made my head become light. It all started with a lullaby. Hurts will come undone; all that will become, time continues to repeat itself." Megumi's mind was long gone from the room as she went on in a dreamlike daze. "I felt a shifting, he got closer. My eyes wide open underneath his shadow."

"Who is he? The one that made you?"

"I follow the feelings and patiently waited, I lost myself to anarchy and misfortune..."

"Are you alone?"

"The graves..."

"Is there more like you?"

"I feel it..."

"Ms. Sato, you will comply to my queries."

"The graves..." Angered by her lack of cooperation he shocked her again, she yelped out this time.

"Now answer me, are there more like you?"

Closing her eyes, she brought her head down and touched her heart, open palms and fingers spread.

"Quietly I feel you were my dreams' is." She said warmly, most likely not talking about them. "Quietly I keep you close to me."

"Ms. Sato, if there are more like you, you're going to tell us what we want to know."

"Quietly I feel you were my dreams' is. Quietly I keep you close to me."

"Ms. Sato."

"For the days to come."

"This is pointless." The Director said slightly vex, he turned to Dr. Oguruma. "Send in the Aragami."

"But Johannes!"

"Do it..." Sighing, Dr. Oguruma pressed the buttons for the smaller test tubes with the Ogretails to come down from the floor above and open up into Megumi's tube.

"The days..." She said dazzlingly, and pulling out her fire blades to finish them off and then devoured their cores savagely. She didn't mean to do it, it was more on instinct really.

"Amazing!" The Director said astounding at what he was seeing. "Send in more."

Dr. Oguruma did the typing to send in more Ogretails, this time from the bottom floor.

"Voices will be undone... Darkness will come." Megumi said in a daze, this time only destroying them with her tail she pulled out from under Soma's jacket.

She devoured them and like all the other times the glowing lines came all over her body.

"There's an over ride in her Oracle Cells!" Dr. Oguruma exclaimed. "She's going to overload."

With a thrust outward she released a burst. It was strong but not strong enough to break the glass, only passing through. The plant at the corner of the room grew significantly. And though as scientist they believed in keeping spiritual theories out of their finding, they could not deny that they saw spirits leave her body.

Megumi fell to her knees, trying to catch her breath. The two scientist were astonished by what they had just witnessed.

"Amazing... Hm, I think we've found our Singularity, Dr. Oguruma."

"Y-yes, well. Unfortunately Johannes, although she does have the characteristics and abilities we're looking for she lacks the full power we need to complete the Ark Project."

"Hm, then perhaps she is one of the proteges of the Singularity. Most likely there are more like her out there, since she is numbered. They must be in the area to secure the safety of one of their own. We best search for them quickly."

"Or... we could use our other option."

"What do you mean, Doctor?"

"Well, with no exact location it could take weeks to locate these other proteges, maybe as long as it took searching for the Singularity. We have her right here and now, why not use her to her full potential."

"What are you suggesting?" The Director asked skeptically.

"I propose we breed her."

"!" Megumi's eyes shot wide open at that.

"If we produce more Singularity proteges we're bound to create enough to bring forth a man-made apocalypse needed to complete the Ark Project. With enough of the specimen's offspring's core-base anatomies we'll be able to control the planet's environmental rehabilitation; wipe out the Aragami; and save mankind with the evacuated surviving humans. We can breed the specimen with a human or an Aragami, the results should be the same."

In the blink of an eye, Megumi was by there sides, at the edge of the test tube. She now had Hannibal arms and her horns were out. Her eyes were amber and spoke of great fury. Megumi's arm broke through the glass ans her hand gripped and squeezed Dr. Oguruma's throat.

He choked out and looked pleadingly at the Director as his air was being cut off. The Director simple stared at him for a minute, he waited for Dr. Oguruma to barely reach the edge of unconsciousness and his color started to change, before calmly pulling out a taser from his coat and tasered her arm. With a grunt she let go of Dr. Oguruma and retreated back into the tube. Dr. Oguruma collapsed onto the floor as he tried to regain his breath. Megumi was continually shocked until she was shepherd into the center of the tube, where a smaller test tube closed in on her. Once trapped in the shocks stopped.

Getting back to his feet, Dr. Oguruma turned to the Director in outrage.

"Why didn't you help me sooner?!"

"Because, I had to teach you a lesson."

"What?!"

"First of all Doctor, I'd find it hard to believe that you would have the power to 'make' the specimen breed. We barely have the means to contain her when she's calm that in itself, let alone find her a breeding partner. She'd kill anyone on the spot that would dare approach her."

"What about that son of your-"

"Don't. Even. Go. There." A rage that he rarely showed filled the Director's eyes. Dr. Oguruma knew that he was walking on a high bridge made of egg shells. If he crossed this man too far he could wined up dead.

"O-of course. F-forgive me, Johannes." The Director calmed down again.

"Second, we don't have the time it would take to produce the amount of offspring you say we need nor the guarantee that they won't come out normal. And thirdly..." His voice got serious. "You're crossing a very dangerous line here, far pass cordial practice. I am willing to dirty my hands for the cause, even murder countless if I must. However, I will not stoop myself so low as to add of even consider rape to the list. I have to hold on to what remaining humanity I have left. Which I fear you may have already lost, Doctor."

"... You miss understand Johannes, I'm as human as they come. I've just been focusing on the lives of thousands that I failed to notice that I neglected the life of one, do forgive me." The Director knew he didn't mean, it could be heard in his snarly voice. The man was just looking out for his own tail, no matter how many lives he had to destroy to secure it. "Then what do you suggest we do with the circumstances, sir?"

"Hmph, Soma seems close with the specimen, perhaps we can get the information we need from him. After all, she did leave him a present before they parted."

"!" The Director grinned at her surprised expression.

"You didn't think I failed to see what you did? I am far too much of an observant man." He then directed to Dr. Oguruma. "Check the armlet signals to see where my son is now."

Checking through the system, Dr. Oguruma was able to locate Soma's Bio signal.

"Got'em, he's in Dr. Sakaki's lab... along with the rest of the First unit."

"Cut the power. Let's see what they've been up to."

"No!" Megumi shouted and started banging on the glass.

"And as for you, Ms. Sato, it's time for you to rest up. You've got a big day coming soon." The Director said with an evil grin. Her tube began to fill up with concentrated P53 Bias Factor liquid which increased her Oracle Cell production and activity. The liquid had a strange habit of changing from neon amber to neon green periodically. Consumed by the liquid she fell unconscious, the need of oxygen was no concern for her.

Removing the broken larger test tube, by having it descend into the next floor, the Director approached her. Watching her as she floated in her tube, he touched the glass.

"How strange, if things were different this girl would most likely have become my daughter-in-law." The Director rationalized, remembering the reaction from his son when he took her. Shoving such thoughts to the back of his mind, he looked back at Dr. Oguruma. "Turn off the power."

By command he turned off the Den powers leaving all of them in a moment of vulnerability. The back up generator kicked on along with a load of data coming from Dr. Sakaki's lab. A long disk data from one of his lab terminals struck them as gold. Opening the file, the Director began to laugh as the film of Megumi's past put all of his plan into play.

"Haha, how rich." The Director turned on the announcer. "Doctor! I knew you were there!"

He continued to watch the video all the way up to her thirteenth year. Gathering all the information he needed, the Director gave out his orders.

"Time to collect our specimens, let's pay this castle that houses the Children of Misfortune. Poor Ms. Sato tried so hard to keep them a secret. Her down fall was the fact they all came to visit her at the Den, giving us a means of identification. Her bio signal on her armlet was cut off, she must've had one of her siblings shut it down. So were dealing with people of perception. Have the men that collect them proceed with caution."

"Yes sir."

"Oh, and one more thing." He said looking back at the floating Megumi before Dr. Oguruma left the room. "Have one of the female assistance prepare a gown for our specimen. We want her to look her best for her big day."

If anything he wanted her to get into something else so that the coat of his son wouldn't keep reminding him of the sins he's about to commit. His son hates him, he didn't need to be reminded that.

*** Later at the Castle ***

"What are we waiting for, we have to go get her!" Larxene demanded.

"There's no way you can go retrieve the king in your condition, Larxene." Xemnas commented.

"Like hell if that's going to stop me!" Larxene shot back then pleaded to the rest, who were silently agreeing with her. "Our little sister needs us. We need to get her out of there before those scientist do something awful to her!"

"Larxene..." Xemnas regrettable answered to her. "This is what Megumi wanted."

"!"

"What do you mean, Xemnas?" Saix questioned.

"Yeah, I fail to see how Megumi would want to stay in that workplace-turned-prison." Axel added in.

"Look at the facts, have any of you been able to sense a distress signal from her?"

"!"

"She's been silent since they took her on that Chopper. If they are experimenting on her she must be holding in her cries for help." Xemnas regrettable admitted, his fingers dug claw marks in the arms of his throne. "She wants us to stay away."

"... Dammit." Hissed out Axel, looking away.

"!"

"!"

"!"

"!"

"!"

"!"

"!"

"!"

"!"

"!"

"!"

"!"

"Hmph, it appears we have company." Xemnas said, getting down from his throne. His hidden anger was escaping from his voice. "But unwanted company, I do hate uninvited guest. Let's show them out."

"Heh, how I've waited to hear that," grinned Saix. Raising his hand out he summoned his divine energy into his hand which formed into a saber. At the saber's weak formed a circular star who's tips acted as the point of the blade.

"Ha, no taking back 'that' order!" Axel said pulling out his weapons from fire.

"What are we waiting for, let's play." Larxene said.

"There's no way you're joining the fight." Marluxia said with worry and a hint of possessiveness.

"Well, do I detect a soft spot." She playfully teased at her husband, but then she got slightly angry. "I'm not a toy, Mar. I won't break that easily."

"Don't insult her by being over protective, Marluxia." Xaldin lectured. "She has a warrior's pride."

"..."

"They appear to be coming from all possible entrances." Zexion noted. "They caused some damage to the court yard... the flowers have suffered the aftermath. Megumi is going to be devastated once she finds out... We'd best separate and deal with each intrusion accordingly."

"Indeed." Xemnas nodded before they all disappeared.

All over the castle the Director's private troops infiltrated the premises. Most though various windows, others by the door.

Those who broke through the front door boldly stormed through the hallways. Once they made a turn on the corner they were greeted by a devil-smile Larxene.

"Too clever, I'm amazed you actually found this place." She said lightly brushing invisible hair back. "Sooo, are you enjoying your stay at the castle? (Giggle) Although, it seems that you guys weren't invited. Poor me, all these strangers trespassing into my home. Why... it just breaks my heart. You see, I'm going to have to ask you to leave. Otherwise things will get ugly."

But the soldiers just readied their batons while others aimed their rifles. Larxene nodded her head at this and grinned.

"Okay, have it your way. More pain for you means more fun for me!" Larxene was unable to transform or call out her inner weapons due to her condition. However, just for cases like this she had already pro-created multiple amounts of her weapon. Hidden under her coat she pulled out multiple throwing knives. "Be good boys and just lose."

Else where two soldiers broke through one of the bedrooms' window.

"Have you ever heard of using the front door? My so many of you, have you guys been good?" They turned to the voice to find Xigbar, leaning on the room's door seal without a care in the world. Surprised by his appearance they pointed their weapons at him. "Oh, looks like you haven't... You guys really put us in a pickle. But man did you pick the wrong people to mess with. You guys don't even look like you'll put up half the fight to keep me entertained."

The men cocked their rifles and Xigbar lazily righted himself off the door seal with a grin.

"Ooh, shiny. Mine's shinny too." He said summoning his pistols. "But it looks like your time is up!"

They all put up a good fight in their respected area and this was like child's play to them. However... the soldiers just kept coming. Slowly the group was being pushed back into the thrones room.

"Damn it, they just keep coming!" Xigbar said in frustration as he fired at three more soldiers attempting to storm them from the halls. He didn't aim to kill, just to keep them down and out. Years with his little siblings had turned him soft.

"Getting tired already? And you guys called me an old man." Vexen teased, but he knew visibly that he was getting tired too.

"Why don't we just transform and get this over with?" Roxas asked, guarding his front.

"Eh, you've been in the game long enough you should know by now, kiddo." Xigbar replied. "It's nearly impossible to resist eating so many hostile humans in Aragami form."

"And we will not resort to cannibalism," insisted Saix.

They were all falling into a tight blockade in the thrones room when they noticed that one of them was missing.

"Drop your weapons, freaks, or the witch gets it!" Order one of the soldiers. He was restraining Larxene's arms behind her back while his other hand pointed a gun under her chin.

Larxene was tired and showed signs of a struggle as bruises covered her. She must have put up one hell of a fight, but the intruders were merciless.

"How... no... I refuse to lose... to a bunch of losers... no, I won't allow..." She was heartbroken. They only won by trying to take a cheap shot at her swollen belly with their batons. Had they no heart? The wounds spoke otherwise. Judging by the wounds on her face and arms she must have been shielding her growing treasure.

"You bastards!" Marluxia was positively livid, steam could practically be seen coming off him, at the condition they had brought his wife in. "If it's the last thing I do I'll... I'll get you for this!" His words were like acid, causing most of the troops to flinch.

"I said drop your weapons!" Driving his point across the soldier dug the barrel of his gun deeper into her chin. "Now!"

"It seems we have no choice..." Xemnas may have acknowledge their defeat, but Marluxia was the first to drop his weapon. It dissolved into rose petals while the others still hesitated to get rid of theirs.

"You're being delusional." Larxene said, clashing with Marluxia's choice of action as if it was a no brainer. "Must you insist on playing the hero?"

"Just shut up and let me be selfish!" Marluxia shot back at her.

"Put down your weapons," Xemnas ordered. "They win this round."

In abhorred submission they all dematerialized their weapons and slowly showed their hands. The soldiers closed in on them.


	23. Chapter 23

Thank you for sticking with my story for so long. I know I haven't been posting chapters as fast as I did with my other stories, but I've been working on adding things to the story. Believe it or not the new ending for chapter 24 didn't exist until 2 days ago. And I've also been working on my next story.

So to answer your question yes I will be making another story, two in fact. Although the second one will be a sequel. The first will be 'Infernal Frost Lily' while the sequel is 'Falling Petals.' I can't give you a summary right now without giving the story plot away. Hell, I won't even put an actually summery on the opening page. But know this... they will be my final stories for this series- well until I actually get my hands on Gods Eater Burst 2- before I move on to other series and they will be my favorites.

My very first character created will be in this story, actually I used her as a basis most of my female characters with the exception of Okami, and she was my favorite one. This story won't be long as the others, but it will be the most touching in my opinion. Also this story will include my only male protagonist character, and damn I wish I could say more but I would be given things away. I would've added a promo-chapter to this story about my next 'Infernal Frost Lily,' but... I don't like odd numbers.

Yeah, I think we'll leave it at that. I already rambled for too long, longer than I usually do, so sorry for that. Anyway back to the story, enjoy.

Insanity to Clarity

"Wait a minute, back up." Kota said as they can through the Den's basement toward the Aegis Island secret entrance. They were in a hurry. Based on the time they were trapped in their rooms and the time it took to find out where Megumi was taken due to the fact that her armlet tracker was turned off, three days had already past for the Director to commence his plans with Megumi. "Are you saying that the Director plans to create a man-made apocalypse by using Megumi's core-like-heart to generate a colossal Aragami that will cause massive genocide. And this Aragami, called Nova, will destroy the planet and everyone in it just to save a selected few thousand! The Aegis Project... was a lie."

"I'm sorry Kota, but I'm afraid so." Lindow said sympathetically.

"How... how could that be?!"

"Let's worry about that later, Kota." Lindow jumped in. "We need to rescue Megumi before the Director goes through with his plan."

"Right..."

They all made it to the bridge with an elevator that headed to the Aegis Island bridge. But such an area was highly secured to keep its secrecy and lock out unauthorized personal. Immediately Lindow and Kota attempted to unlock the elevator's security system.

"No good, I can't release the key."

"That's cause only authorized official have access to the release key."

"Tsubaki!" Sakuya gasped as they all turned in surprise.

"It's alright, I'm not going to arrest you for being in an unauthorized area." Tsubaki reassured them. "As you an see the Den has been chaotic since the announcement of the Ark Project. All those that were Pro-Ark are long gone."

"Well then, what are you doing here?" Alisa queried.

"I knew you guys would come here eventually," Tsubaki then got serious. "And I'm here to give you the key."

"!" Soma couldn't believe what he was hearing.

"T-thanks sis, but... why would you help us?"

"... She saved your life, now I'm returning the favor." Tsubaki said with a smile. "Now get going, take down the Director, and stop this madness! ... And make sure you all come back alive."

"Yes ma'am" They all answered.

*** Mean while on Aegis Island ***

The man-made island was deadly silent. Dr. Oguruma and the Director worked along the circular launch pad to complete the final preparations. All others working with them had already boarded the other spaceships.

There it was, the Colossal of an Aragami that was nurtured to devour the Earth, Nova. Outwardly the Aragami resembled the Director's lovely wife... Aisha Gauche. She was killed during the Managarm Project when she was taken over by an Aragami. Her long tentacle hair flowed around the island. Each strand had a glowing hollowed pod similar to the one that acted like the crest on the center of her forehead.

Once the Ark Project was complete each tentacle would cover the entire planet and devour all on it. She hung upside down eyes closed as if in a peaceful slumber. In each glowing hollowed pod entrapped one of the Children of Misfortune. Inside the forehead crest hung Megumi, unlike the others she was not closed in but was bound to the crest by out stretched hands and bound feet. Each of the others were trapped in a pod on separate tentacles. They all sported their black coats while Megumi wore a simple white gown with a veil in her long hair and a shawl. She looked like a maiden sacrifice.

"Is the Bias Factor ready for ejection?" The Director asked as he observed Nova.

"Yes sir, give the word and we can get started."

"Excellent," he looked up and noticed all the eyes of the Children were staring at him. Johannes felt like their eyes were judging him like the divine. For a second he felt a twinge of fear for what he was about to do. "Do not look so down upon me Spawns of the Singularity. You're sacrifice will bring forth the salvation of mankind and create a path of utopia for the future generations to come."

"What's the point of saving a thousand lives if millions have to die?" Xemnas questioned him.

"What right do you have to damn the whole planet?" Added Marluxia.

"Not to mention the limitless species of animals, discovered and undiscovered, that will be destroyed in your chaotic pursuit of salvation."

"None of that is your concern," the Director answered. "The surviving members will decide what to do with the chosen few animals we saved in the spaceships."

"Dude, this is insane." Demyx said, pressing his hands and face to his pod.

"All great moments in humanity started off as an insane idea." The Director chuckled at them then turned to Dr. Oguruma. "Eject the Bias Factor."

"Yes sir," with the flip of a switch the Bias Factor began to fill into the pods while inside tubes injected it directly into Megumi's hands and feet.

"Ah!" Larxene screamed as she moved as far away from the liquid as possible. The others began to panic about her while Marluxia bashed on his pod in an attempt to come to her aid.

"Leave her alone you bastards! She's pregnant, she can't be exposed to Bias Factor!" Marluxia kept punching his pod even as his hands started to bleed. "If you have any humanity in you, you'll leave her out of this!"

"Please stop!" Megumi begged, struggling against her restraints. "You can double the amount of Bias Factor for me, even triple it for all I care! Just don't inject her, please!"

The Director looked at the panicking mother-to-be, struggled at the edge of her pod to keep away from the liquid. She was going to die during the Apocalypse anyway, what did it matter to him that her baby would be harmed. But looking at her reminded him of his pregnant wife in her last moments after giving birth to their sons. Could he really live with destroying another life-to-be along with its mother in the remaining time they have?

"... Cut the Bias Factor flow from the woman's pod, send it to Ms. Sato's."

"What?! Sir-"

"Just do it." The Director barked, not tolerating any defiance from Dr. Oguruma. Although, not fully agreeing with the Director's orders he transferred the flow of Bias Factor to Megumi's line and drained Larxene's pod.

The remaining pods began to fill with Bias Factor liquid, they all began to glow with lines all over their bodies. They were suffering from a forced burst that the Director was going to drain into Nova. Exhausted from the draining they began to fall unconscious. The Director ascended on the lift to watch in awe as the plan came to be.

"Excellent, the plan is in full swing!" Dr. Oguruma praised. "Now if you'll excuse me I have a ship to board."

Just as he was about to leave the First unit came charging in, blocking the exit. They all looked around the Aegis Island in horrid wonder. It was then that Soma noticed Megumi hanging on Nova looking as limp as a dead man.

"Megumi!"

"'The tears you offer are all I crave'... huh?" The Director rambled to himself until he noticed the presence of the First unit. "Welcome to Aegis... I knew you'd all come here... So tell me, are you crushed that it's nothing like the utopia that you'd imagine."

"Director! ... You were behind this all along! And you even tried to kill Lindow... what's the meaning of all this?!" Sakuya demanded in outrage.

"Such a shame really... Lindow was getting too close to the truth and was planning to infiltrate the place. Apparently he had another master. So I moved before I got bitten. Unfortunately, and to my luck, he had friends in special places to have his back."

"And you were going to use those special friends to ensure passage to the new world of your chosen few?" Sakuya accused.

"Can you think of any other more deserving? Scientist... Engineers... God Eaters, and their families are all the jewels of the gene pool. And it is my job to ensure their blood line to the next generation."

"You lied to us!" Kota shouted. "You gave us all false hope that we could save everyone with the Aegis Project. I actually believed... that I'd be able to protect my family with that Project. My mom... Nazomi!"

"And you still can," assured the Director. "Board the Ark and your family will be assured passage to the new world. Your tickets still stand, if you decide to join us."

"Yeah..." Kota's hands began to shake in rage. "What about my neighbors, and my friends back in the Outer Ghetto? What about them? You don't have any place for them in your Ark as you sacrifice them to the flood! I don't need your Ark, I'll protect them all with my own hands. I'll help forge my own salvation!"

"Hm, such a pity. I was hoping to see you again in the new world."

"Sorry Director. But I'm afraid that's not going to happen as long as we're here." Alisa said confidently.

"I see... now that's a problem. All right then, since you leave me no choice, I'll have you kill your friends." The Director said to Alisa before turning to Dr. Oguruma. The Doctor revealed himself to the others, catching Alisa by surprise.

"Well, long time no see, Alisa. You know, you should've just slipped into unconsciousness like you were suppose to..." His words where so cold, far different from the kind doctor she knew who once took care of her. "If your still thirsting to kill, why I'll give you a hand again!"

"What are... you...?" Alisa couldn't believe what she was hearing.

"Ajin," he was saying the words.

"!" The words that made her into a strong little girl.

"Duva," the words that made the monsters go away.

"!" The words that blanked out her mind.

"Touri!"

Alisa turned to the others with empty eyes. Lifted her gun as she readied to fire. Sakuya ran to Alisa's aid unafraid of the gun pointed at her.

"Alisa!" A twitched came to Alisa's eyes. "You're too strong to fall under this kind of hypnosis! Remember, you didn't shoot Lindow that day! In fact, you never let yourself get defeated by this kind of thing! That's right, you've always had the strength to protect your loved ones with your own hands!"

Alisa fired three shots at Sakuya as she leaped out to embrace Alisa. They both fell to the ground.

"Sakuya!" Lindow called out in worry. The First unit and the ones in the pods looked on in concern.

Dr. Oguruma laughed at Sakuya's actions. "Have you lost your mind, Sakuya?"

To everyone's relief Sakuya got up, holding a dizzy Alisa in her arm.

"What the hell?" Sakuya grinned at Dr. Oguruma's nervousness.

"Sorry... that was only a Recovery bullet." Sakuya pointed her gun at him. He was still in shock. Alisa was able to break from his control. He could have sworn he shattered her mind after years of work.

"What? Oh hell..." Sakuya shot, he bleed out. Stepping back he slipped on the edge and fell off the island to his death.

"However, those were not." Sakuya threw in those last words.

"Nice work, I say good riddance to that idiot!" Larxene said, clapping from her pod. "I wasn't sure you actually had it in your bones to take out a fellow human."

"When it comes to saving my friends and the rest of humanity, I'll take out as many monsters as necessary. In human skin or not." Sakuya asserted as Alisa finally collected herself.

"Hypocritical... judgmental. Are you at any right to damn me for saving humanity at the cost of lives when you just did the same."

"Well that may be, but... we are not out for mass genocide!" Sakuya retorted back, bringing everyone's attention back to the Direction.

"So long... such a long road to get here... Nurturing Nova's base through many years of managed devouring... Scouring the entire world for visible spaceships to add to my feet... The process of transporting the 'Chosen 1000'... now at last! It's about to come to fruition!"

Behind the Nova shot off spaceships in the distant.

"And now, victory is mine! Doctor... You're there aren't you Paylor?"

The Doctor walk in from behind the First unit. "Just as I thought, it's too late..."

"Even as we speak, we are in the brink of extinction! The destruction by the Aragami, reported daily around the world is nothing compared to this... Nova, the planet devouring Aragami... Should Nova appear and then explode... the world as we know it will end. When exactly will this happen? In a few centuries? A few hours? Aegis is doomed to fall... And I refuse to hide in such a place and wait for the Apocalypse! Precisely because it is an inevitable fate, we must control it... and make sure the chosen survive into the next generation! What you yourself was trying to accomplish by using the Singularity's spawn was nothing but an attempt to stave off the Apocalypse. Am I wrong about that, Doctor?"

"What in the world... is he talking about, Doctor?" Sakuya questioned.

"You see... I wanted to preserve the world... by creating a group of human-like Aragami... I tried to prolong the critical state just before the Devouring Apocalypse, by nurturing Aragami that were totally autonomous from the rest... and able to control their predator instincts. And towards the end, I used you all, as well as Megumi... forgive me."

"Damn you to the bottom-est pit of hell, Doctor!" Roared out the voice they all recognized but didn't expect to hear.

"Doragon... it's a pleasure to see you again." Dr. Sakaki greeted as they all looked up to see him crouching on one of the tentacles. Black fire raged from his hands.

"Save it Doc!" He angrily spat as he jumped down. "I'd kill you if there weren't more important things at hand. Damn you scientist and all your attempts to coming close to God!"

"Surely you expected this, Mr. Sato." Replied the Director to his claims. "All you have to do is observe human behavior. Humans live off of their desires and instincts to the point I did lose hope for humankind itself, long ago. But there's one thing I know. That despite it all, humans still strive to live intelligently. Our instincts, our insatiable desire are no different from that of Aragami or Nova. But beyond that, there is a future carved out for humans!"

"So my daughter and adoptive children have to die to satisfy your insatiable desire for intelligence. You truly are mad!"

"Mr. Sato, do not grieve so. As a shinning guide to the next world, your daughter and other children will point this planet toward its new Providence. This is the cycle of planets bound by fate..."

"To hell with your cycle!" Soma shouted back. "You're not sacrificing Megumi for your damned Providence."

"Nngh..." Megumi groaned awake as the others the flooded pods began to come too.

"Megumi!" Megumi lazily lowered her head to look at him.

"Soma... how... why are you here?"

"I came all this way to save you, idiot!" He blushed a little.

"Why?... you chased me here relentlessly. All hope is lost and you still fight... and I don't know why."

"Bonehead, don't give up! Keep fighting!"

"Why... fate has written our story as a tragedy..."

"If that's the case then I'll rip the pin out of Fate's hands and rewrite it myself!" Rushing over to Nova, he jumped from tentacle to steel bar until he reached her. Holding on to the convex crest that Megumi was bound to. "You're the piece of me that I need to be complete, my other half! And I'll fight for you as long as it takes to remain whole! Your worth it every time!"

Her eyes widen at the shock of his confession then they melted back to a warm expression accompanied by a smile.

"Why are you my clarity?"

"Because we're both suffering from insanity." He teased her with a grin. Pulling her toward him he gave her a passionate kiss as he ripped her from the crest. They broke the kiss in mid-air. As they fell to the ground he pulled her into both of his arms. Flipping over he landed on his feet, relaxing and bending his knees to break the fall. He lowered her lower half to the ground as he cradled her upper-body in his arms using one knee to balance with the ground.

"That was so cute I almost might not kill you young man." Doragon said with a vein popping out of his forehead as he crossed his arms.

"Is... is that you dad?" Megumi said tiredly as she tried to fight off sleep.

"Yeah, it's me princess. Good to hear your voice." He said, leaning own to her level along with Soma.

"Please... Larxene... get the others out..."

"Yes, we understand. We'll take care of that right now." Soma assured her. She smiled, a single tear of happiness fell from her eye as sleep reclaimed her.

"Thank God..."

"Hn, such drama. Very well, take her." The Director proclaimed. "Now that I've obtained the Singularities... I have no use for the 'vessels.'"

A shinning egg, that acted more like a cocoon, lifted up on the top floor next to the Director.

"This is divine Providence. Furthermore... who should we find at the pinnacle of that Providence? Even in the imminent new world, it should be humans... That's right. Humans are... no! We ourselves are God Eaters now!"

The shell opened up to an Arda Nova. In a moment of madness the Director jumped into the beast counterpart, willingly fusing with the monsters he was desperately trying to destroy.

"Will the human turn into a god, or a god into a human? This battle really piqued my interest, but I'll concede defeat for now. You're no different than an Aragami now... But... I'm sure you're well aware of that. Ironic that a scientist will turn to fate... But now I'm going to believe in you... In you God Eaters." Sakaki turned and left the God Eaters to battle it out.

"Doragon, get her out of here!" Lindow ordered, taking charge. "We'll hold them off so you can come back and free the others. Sakuya, give him a hand."

"Roger!" Sakuya went to follow her orders while Soma was hesitant on giving Megumi up. He continued to look down at her as she slept in his arms.

"Soma!" Finally breaking free from his gazing he handed Megumi over to her father and ran over to join the others.

"I got you, sweetie." Doragon spoke comfortingly to his sleeping daughter before leaping out of the area.

"Let's put an end to this!" Lindow said, getting pumped up. "You ready, Soma?"

"Enough with the chit-chat... You guys... back me up!" They all got ready.

"Not even torrent of rain... can stop this overflowing of the Spring of redemption... there's only one plank afloat in this stormy sea, and it shall be grasped by one man alone... I, von Schicksal!"

"We'll see about that!" Kota retorted, firing at the Arda Nova as it approached them.


	24. Chapter 24

Dude... chapter 8

Anyway behold, the ending that wasn't going to be.

Noblesse Oblige

"You fools!" The female cried out at them for their folly. It was the same Aragami that was under Megumi feet during the final half of her disk, but something told Soma that this one would be much stronger.

"Rotten piece of meat." Soma growled back, taking a bite of it with his God Arc.

Experimenting along with Lindow and Alisa, he began to strike it at random areas. At the moment it had seem that the Aragami was immune to all brute force attacks when suddenly he got a critical blow at the female's halo. With the others seeing this they began to jump attack for the halo as well.

Frustrated the female Aragami began to curl up into herself. Something about this reminded him of Megumi's attacks, telling him that this wasn't good. But he got out his shield too late.

"Ha! My power is overwhelming!" The female Aragami burst out a divine light that knocks Soma down. It left a mark but he could heal that easily. Once the light dimmed down they all went in again. Soma kept jump striking until he destroyed the halo.

All the while Doragon had returned to help Sakuya free the other Children of Misfortune. Larxene first, with care, then the others.

"I'll be taking your life next." Soma retorted at the Aragami.

Enraged the female Aragami floated into the air, leaving her male counterpart exposed. Soma felt that something wasn't right, pulling out his shield he prepared himself.

"My power will overwhelm you!" She shouted as a divine laser shot from her body and pushed Soma and his shield back. Coming back down to the ground the others went after her again, this time destroying her hair.

"Let's finish them off!" Alisa encouraged while going in for a bite. "Here!"

She shot each of the boys a Team bullet, giving them a boost. Empowered, Soma did a charged up slash that dropped the female Aragami to her knees while knocking her male counterpart out for the count.

"That was pretty spectacular." Lindow praised Soma as he continued striking the female Aragami.

"Ah!" She laughed at them, rising to her feet her upper body limply hung low.

"Guys, get back!" Kota warned, seeing her arms elongate. But it was too late, she did her dance, arm stretched out as they swung along with her with a brute force.

The hand bitch slapped Soma to the ground along with Alisa, Lindow barely had enough time to bring out his shield. Once her dance was done she fell to her knees.

Getting up, Soma wiped his mouth and charged at the Aragami again. Just as she was about to get up Soma slashed hard at her legs, knocking her down again.

Taking advantage of the situation they went in for the kill. She groaned out as she fell to her death.

"What ever you bring out I'll just slash it to hell." Soma said out of breath.

"Man we managed to grind out a win!" Lindow said, wiping off some sweat on his brow. By then Sakuya and Doragon had already freed the others.

"We can't die just yet." Alisa said, bringing back her strength and her will to fight.

"Impossible..." In shock they all turned to the Director's Aragami, readying for another round. But he just laid there. "How could I... How could I be defeated by such fools as these, who have turned there backs on human power..."

Nova began to shake, it was activating.

"Damn that monstrosity... we can't stop it!" Kota shouted.

"What on earth can we do?" Alisa was beginning to panic.

The Director began to laugh, drawing everyone's attention back to him.

"It's no use. Nova has awoken and cannot be stopped..."

"For once, I'll be assertive." Dr. Sakaki said, coming back on the scene. "It's impossible."

"Isn't there anything we can do Doc?" Soma asked.

"I'm sorry, but it's just as the Director said. The overflowing spring... Nova... can't be stopped."

"But no!" Sakuya cried out.

"Well this stinks," commented Xighbar, exhausted.

"Mom... Nazomi... I'm sorry, I couldn't protect everyone." Koya said, giving up hope.

"The Aragami's destination, the rebirth of stars... we can't fight this system after all." Dr. Sakaki said, submitting to fate.

"Don't give me that! That's not... that's not what I signed up for!" Soma growled, refusing to accept this as the end.

"Yes... that's right. Soma, you and your comrades... must hurry... to the Ark!" The Director pleaded.

"Director... are... are you?" Sakuya said shocked at the reality of the Director's true intentions.

"No need... to worry about me... There was never a place for me on that boat..."

"What?" Sakuya gasped as he concluded her theories. The others were shocked as well.

"After all," Johannes continued on. The others could have sworn they saw that sad grin in his voice. "I forced all this sacrifice on the world... I have no right to see the next world..."

"Dad..." Soma said, happy to finally see his father pass his cold shell, but sad that it was in his last moments.

"Aisha, forgive me..." Johannes said, looking up at the Aragami that resembled his wife. "In the end, I could only search for answers after waging such a terrible war. Would you say that... Perhaps... we've atoned for what happened to you."

"In the end, the sinner repents to clean his past transgressions in his dire moment." Came the gentle voice of Megumi, coming up to the Director. "I would call you a hypocrite, but what right do I have. Here I am using my powers when I said I would never use them again."

"What are you-" But Alisa didn't get to finish that sentence since Megumi began to shout.

"Ahhh Ahhh Haa Ahhh!" She shouted like a battle cry. In doing so the Director began to emerge from the Aragami, as if it was spitting him back out. They were shocked that she was able to split him from the Aragami piece by piece. "(Huff) You're lucky that (huff) there was still time (huff) to separate you."

"Ugh... why would you help me?"

"Believe me, after what you just did to me and my family I should have let you rot. However, it wouldn't have been right to end it this way. Death has claimed far too many today, but it shall not call you." Immediately, Dr. Sakaki and Sakuya came to the Directors aid. He was tired, that much was true, he won't be able to move for some time. While they tended to him, Megumi looked up to the still moving Nova. "Now I must do what I know has to be done."

Extending her hand out toward Nova, Megumi scrunched her fingers and creased her forehead. Nova stopped moving, she began approaching it.

"Megumi, stop!" Soma said, trying to halt her motion toward the apocalyptic danger. "Why did you come back?!"

"To protect you." She answered, turning her head to look him in the eye.

"!"

"To protect all of you. I know what I must do, I can fix this." Soma noticed the drops of blood dripping from her forehead as she continued to move forward.

"Megumi, what did you do?!" He was terrified.

"I took control of Nova."

"Impossible!" Dr. Sakaki said in disbelief. "How can you contain and restrain the consciousness of a massive Singularity as Nova?!"

"It's hard... like carrying a baby elephant on your back hard. However as king anything is possible, if I try hard enough..." She made one of the hair tentacles come down and act as a bridge for her to reach Nova's forehead crest. "It's alright everyone, I'll clean up the mess."

The aggressive orange glow of Nova's pods changed into a calming blue as Megumi drew closer.

"Megumi, what are you doing?! Come back here!" Kota shouted at her.

"No, Kota. I.. I understand now... for the first time, I understand. This is who I am, this is what I was born to do."

"Don't tell me... you're going too..." Soma couldn't even finish the thought.

"Are you insane?! There's no way you can devour the core of an Aragami that can devour a planet by yourself!" Axel shouted.

Immediately the others tried to retrieve her, but she had made Nova's tentacles block the path. Most where too tired to transform -for those who had the ability- to fly over or burn their way through let alone to be able to climb over them. Soma began slashing at the tentacles in an attempt to break through while the others with guns fired. But the tentacles were stronger than trees or flesh and would barely budge.

"This is crazy!" Roxas shouted at her as he continued slicing with his 'keyblade.'

With one final deep breath, Megumi began to devour the core/crest. Immediately her glowing lines came back and her forehead began to bleed more.

"Stop it, you'll kill yourself!" Ordered Luxord, but to no avail. She actually transformed her jaw bone so she could take in more. The glow began to veins and showed through her eyes.

"No I will not," she said en-between chewing. "I'm the only one strong enough to do this and most likely survive."

"You're regenerative ability isn't fast enough to handle this amount of Oracle Cells, you could die!" Vexen corrected her.

"...Then... Fenrir can finally give me what I wanted from them all along."

"!" This was the first time the First unit ever heard her directly bring 'that' up.

"And what would that be?" Dr. Sakaki asked, dreading the possible answer.

"To die..." Doragon sadly answered for her.

"!" Soma increased his slashing.

"Megumi... always feared for the day when the madness would take over her. She'd be able to help bring the others back from the brink of the darkness before they were ever consumed. However... for her it wouldn't be that simple. She'd destroy thousands before they'd be able to bring her back. She's too kind to ever be able to bare that guilt. So she'd rather be around people that could have the possibility of stopping her regenerative core and a guarantee to put an end to her."

"How could you..." Soma was enraged and hurt. He stopped his assault on the tentacles as he looked up to Megumi with a slight shake. "How could you leave us with the burden of killing you?! After all we've been through... that is beyond selfish!"

"I'm sorry." A tear, glowing with concentrated Oracle Cells, ran down her cheek as she turned to look at him. She was making good progress, the crest was half way gone. "I honestly wasn't suppose to get attached, this was suppose to be an undercover operation. I didn't expect to form bonds; make friends; fall in love..."

"!"

"But I got greedy, I couldn't get enough of the feeling."

"Then stop this, you can still keep those things."

"No can do, Soma." The temperature around Megumi dropped as she began devouring again, 3/4's of the crest was gone now. "If I stop this now we all die. This world would be so very dull without you guys around. You guys... my family... my friends... my heart, you guys taught me what it feels like to be human."

"We still can have that Megumi. You still have so much to learn." Sakuya pleaded with Megumi. "We can learn about being human together. Through the acts of bonding, forgiving, and living for each other. That is how we all are connected to another."

"Then I shall die for someone else." Her rare Caligula wings burst out from her back, bringing with them a blurry of snow. "What a lovely way to go."

The glowing became brighter and her body began to shake as she forced herself to continue devouring.

"Megumi, as you're father I order you to stop! Please, princess, I've already lost Shiyuri I can't bare to lose my baby girl too." Doragon shouted, to his joy she did stop and turned to look at him. But to all their horror her face cracked around her left cheek like a porcelain doll.

"It's too late to stop," she gave them a sad smile. "It's been fun knowing you all and I'll miss you. But if its okay with you guys, I'm just going to be a memory."

"No, that's not okay!" Alisa fell to the floor crying. "It's not okay... at all!"

"What, for real? I'm sorry. I'd best finish this... my body can't take much more." As if to prove her point her arm cracked. "That's why... you guys have to let me go."

"But there's no way... we could ever do that!" Kota shouted as the tears finally escaped his eyes.

"It's been a pleasure going through life with you all." Megumi then looked to Soma, her glowing tears increased in a down pour. "Soma... sorry things had to end this way... Thanks for that little piece of heaven."

"Who do you think you are, acting on your own like that..." Soma clinched his shaking fist as he tried to hold back the tears. She sadly smiled at him.

"It's in my nature... doing things in the spur of the moment, that's where the adventures lye in the world." Her smile grew warm as her eyes began to twinkle, she placed a hand on her heart. "Hey... we'll always be together, even when we're apart, as long as you keep me in here. Bye... thanks for being out there for me."

She turned around and gave it her all to finish eating the final pieces of the crest. That's when it hit, Nova's glow faded and all movement stopped as if shutting down. Megumi slowly turned to the others, her eyes a solid black. It was not her piloting anymore.

"Johannes..." That voice! Soma recognized it from the tapes, it was his mom.

"Aisha..." There was a fondness and affection in the Director's voice that was never shown around others before.

"Johannes... for years I've been trapped inside Nova for so long. Unable to do anything but watch the things you've done..." Her voice showed sadness and disappointment. "Force to watch your foolish choices and could do nothing but watch."

"But I... I did it all for you. Preserving the Aragami that devoured you to preserve your essence, I did it all for you. All to destroy this damnable world that would take you away from us."

"We were never meant to play God, Johannes. That was the price I had to pay for trying. And the price you didn't have to pay since there was still time to stop this."

"But I... I miss you. I need you Aisha..."

"I missed you too. I hope to be apart of you in your heart, that way I'm not so far from home."

They smiled at each other, then Aisha turned to talk to Dr. Sakaki.

"Thanks for looking after my boys for me, Paylor."

"Hey, what are friends for."

She began to laugh along with him, but then Aisha began to cringe along with Megumi's body. This startled Johannes, Sakaki, and Soma.

"Ugh... looks like my host can't take much more... Please... just hold on for me a little while longer, would you? I need to talk to my son."

"..." Soma was nervous, the woman who gave him life at the cost of her own was now possessing his girlfriend's body.

"My boy, my little Soma." She smiled with affection. But it slowly faded, as he stared at her with indifference, into sad understanding. "I guess I deserve the stare-down, I placed so much responsibility on your shoulders before you were even born. And I wasn't even there to help guide you through it all. I should've been there, but I... I've made so many mistakes. I never even got the chance to hold you in my arms."

His heart broke like harp strings as she began to cry. "I... I just wanted you to know that I'm so sorry." Through a tear stained face she gave a small smile. "But I'm so grateful, you turned out okay."

"Mom..."

"(Gasp) You... you called me mom!" Her smile grew wider. "That's the most beautiful thing I've ever heard. How I love it."

But her eyes widened as the crack on Megumi's arm began to widen down to her hand. "Bye... it look's like... times up."

Megumi's voice screamed out as she let out a burst greater than ever before. The wave went around the world, restoring life to the destroyed ecosystem. A warm light blinded the group a Megumi let loose.

"Ahhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh hhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh!"

Once she was done her face was lifted up to the sky as the remaining spirits escaped from her mouth. Soma's mother was the last to go, she stared at them waving goodbye before disappearing into the sky, into the moon's light.

Megumi's eyes were back to normal, but her face was cracked worse than it was before. Her face switched into something of happy bliss as her eyes and smile took a warm glow.

"I... I did it." Were her final hollow words as she fell to the ground. Nova began to dissolve into dust that scattered in the wind as she descended. Her wings disappeared, snow fell from them and flurried around her. Her veil and shawl blew off in the wind. The tentacles blocking their path eventually dissolved into dust too, but not fast enough for them to catch her. Gravity played its cruel game as her impact rang out with a sickening crack sound. Pieces of her shattered off like porcelain.

She laid there, arms spread out and her face turned on her left cheek's side. Her expression frozen like that, her immortal warm smile, like a doll. But she was broken, her finger were shattered and broken off at some of their points as they slightly bent palm upward. Her legs slightly spread apart, but not enough were it took away her dignity. There were cracks and shatters around her ankle. Even the area around her heart was cracked too. What was the most eery was the broken pieces of her face. Her left eye was broken off and gone, showing the empty hollow inside her. She was a porcelain doll, a hollow shell of what she once was.

"Megumi!" Soma shouted, dashing to her side. The others soon to follow behind once recovering from there paralyzing shock and horror. But as Soma got closer a dark burst shot him back along with the others.

Dark flames appeared, cutting Megumi off from the others. They attempted to step over it but the flames always rose higher and burned hotter each time they got too close. A dark tar bubble emerged from the ground and began to leak in, a chill ran down Soma's back as he heard a dark chuckle come from it. A female figure emerged from the tar, her eyes glowed a crimson red. An evil grin began to grow on her face as her crimson eyes caught sight of Megumi.

_**"Heh ha ha ha ha, at last. (Giggle) Ding Dong the king is dead, ooh how the mighty have fallen."**_She titled her head to get a better look at Megumi as she continued to taunt her. **_"How does it feel to be stripped of your high throne? To have your face shoved in the dirt like a commoner? To lay at the feet of the people you once ruled?"_**

Megumi said nothing, irritated by her lack of response the entity continued on. **_"You've been at the top for too long, it's time for a new king. Now you will become the servant and chase after me!"_**

Megumi's body remain unmoving, just stared at the entity with her one eye and this angered her.

**_"Don't look at me with those eyes! I am sick of those eyes! Always lying there, force to look through their windows! Once I take over, the first thing I'm going to do is rip them out your skull so you'll be forced into darkness! Never to see the world through my eyes! In fact, I'll be the last thing you see!"_**

The creature leaped at Megumi, sharp claw-like-fingers stretched out longer as they reached out for her. But a bright ball of light over Megumi's body shot her back. The creature shrieked at the touch of light.

From the light came Grace Black Butterflies that formed into Shiyuri standing over Megumi's body. She looked like she did the last time they had encountered her, but this time in her hand was a silver barrel pistol and a knife. Recovering from the blow, the creature turned to see who it was.

_**"Oh, it's you..."** _It said bitterly.

"Shiyuri..." Doragon called out to her. She turned to him and smiled lovingly at him then turned sternly back to the creature getting up from the ground.

**_"I should have known you'd be here. You always act as her last defense. I grow tired of your persistent pestering."_**The she-creature sneered at her. _**"But there's nothing you can do, her body is mine now. So if you'll kindly step out of my way things won't get ugly."**_

"No."

**_"No? No?! Hahaha, what are you going to do with you're measly kitchen knife! Oh, I'm scared. The great marksmen of her time is going to try and beat me in hand-to-hand combat, don't make me laugh."_**

"You will not get pass me." Shiyuri got into a fighting stance, jumping from side to side, keeping on her toes as she moved in front of Megumi.

**_"Hehe, pathetic. And so you're reduced to nothing more than having mommy come to save you."_**The creature said to Megumi then looked to Shiyuri. **_"This is simply survival of the fittest, I don't wanna die so you're going to have to!"_**

The creature charged at Megumi again, but Shiyuri came at her with the knife to push her back. Shiyuri has a slight crouch with each her jump steps, like a lioness protecting her cubs.

**_"Ha, you've got fire in yah, eh? Well, hang on to your head or I'll lope it off, again!"_**

She dashed at Shiyuri, coming at her from side to side until she was close enough to go for a frontal jump strike. But Shiyuri changed her line of attack. Pulling out her pistol she shot the creature in the heart, stopping her in her place.

Recovering, the she-creature was getting more feisty, circling around them in a sprint as Shiyuri shot at her. She always hit the point, around the arms and legs and even the chest area, but the she-creature kept instantly healing. Being bold, it charged at them, full front. Taking aim, Shiyuri threw her knife at her but she jumped to the side. Looking back at the knife she turned back to Shiyuri with a grin.

**_"Ha! You missed!" _**But her grin disappeared when she realized Shiyuri used the distraction to close in on her and put the barrel to her face.

"No, I didn't." Shiyuri pulled the trigger, shooting her at point blank. The creature fell to the floor, a hole in the center of its forehead.

But then a Cheshire cat grin came over its face and it slowly got up.

**_"Heh hahaha. My, when did you start playing dirty. Why not stop looking after such a weak king and join me. I could use someone like you on my side."_**

"You will never be king."

The she-creature was slightly angered at that comment. The bullet hole finished closing up. **_"And why is that?"_**

"Because no one will serve a king that wouldn't die for them, let alone fight for them."

**_"Fine! Then die with your weak king!"_ **It said kicking the pistol out of Shiyuri's hand them impaled Shiyuri's chest with its own hand. **_"And once I take over I'll destroy everything she holds dear, starting with that Soma boy!"_**

Shiyuri wheezed as she recovered herself, unlike the she-creature she could not be self healed. It was a good thing she was already dead, although her body still registered pain. The creature tried surrounding Megumi from the shadows, like a giant mouth from darkness tar claws tried to close in on her.

"Ahhhh!" Shiyuri shrieked out, releasing a blast of light from her body that blasted the she-creature away from Megumi and destroyed the tar claws from the ground. Her shriek sounded like a haunting song, beautiful yet spine-chilling.

While the creature was down Shiyuri looked for her gun. She found it, it slid on the other side of the barrier fire. As she approached it the flames lifted up, instinctively she flinched back. But with a deep breath she soldiered through sticking her hand out she reached for her pistol. The fire burned her arm faster than any normal flame.

Calming herself she turned to the creature, gun held close to her chest by both hands as her breathing calmed. The creature got up, she was furious.

**_"I'm really getting tired of this crap, Shiyuri." _**She began to chuckle like a mad man. **_"Do you think this will make up for not being able to protect Megumi that time so long ago. Just face the facts, you couldn't save her then you can not save her now."_**

Angered by her words Shiyuri fired wildly at her. Emptying her magazine she quickly unloaded the empty magazine to the floor and pulled out the spare magazine from her bra, that only Doragon knew that she kept there for safe keeping during combat, and reloaded. While this happened pieces of Megumi fell off and turned to sprinkles of light.

**_"No! I can't miss this opportunity!" _**The creature shrieks and came at Shiyuri in full force. **_"Why do you interfere?! Do you want her to die?!" _**Shiyuri spared a loving sad glance at Megumi, more pieces of Megumi was starting to break off.

Shiyuri continued to fire at her. Enraged, the she-creatures barely visible shape of a face changed from human-female-like into something more monstrous as her Gboro-like teeth grinned at Shiyuri. That was the last shot, Shiyuri was out of ammo.

**_"Looks like your out," _**The she-creature smacked Shiyuri to the ground to walk passed her.

On the floor Shiyuri noticed her knife, pulling it out of the ground she went in for her last shot. Tackling the creature to the ground by the she-creature's legs, Shiyuri struggled to hold her down as she growled and desperately crawled toward Megumi.

**_"No! Megumi is mine!" _**She growled out as Shiyuri climbed up to her middle. Holding on with one arm she lifted the knife in the air.

"Not my baby!" She thrust the knife into the creatures back, both instantly combusted. Shiyuri into white butterflies, the creature into a black stained on the floor that almost circled around Megumi like a claw-hand, but never touched her.

The butterflies flew away toward the moon white the exception of one that flew over to Megumi. Going to Megumi's forehead it gave her a kiss with a 'chu.' Megumi then dissolved away into specks of light that flew up in the sky toward the moon with the butterfly.

A few of the specks of light flew over to the others. One flew toward Soma and came to a stop. Soma pulled down his hood, letting the speck's light play on his hair. He hesitantly held it under his hand, afraid to touch it. It filled him with a warm glow that told him it was Megumi. Closing his hand around it, he pulled it close to his chest. It was over.

*** Author's Notes ***

The chapter was originally suppose to end with Megumi cracking on the floor and shattering into specks of light. But I felt that closure with Shiyuri appearing to Megumi even in death needed closure. And I felt the darkness/madness didn't get the understanding of how serious it effected the Children of Misfortune and recognition it deserved.


	25. Chapter 25

I won't lie once I finish this story I'm going to take a little break. Get some other things done and then I'll get to my last two stories. But I'll try not to leave my reader's waiting for too long. And as for that question about Shio, she has her cameo coming soon and a reference in chapter 21. I just thought with her no longer being the only Singularity, she would get the interaction she craved and wouldn't cling to or follow around the First Unit when they first encounter her. The better question is, how could I take out Ren from the story?

Rulers of the No-man's Land

Off in the distance, a tiny figure sits on the rumble of an old building. Kicking her little feet as she looked out at Aegis Island. A young girl, most likely not even in her teens yet, watched at all that came to play with her amber Aragami eyes. Her short white hair blew in the wind as the moon made her porcelain skin glow. Although she wore nothing but a raggedy old Fenrir flag she was happy and a ball of spirit.

"**Little Queen...**" greeted Azriel, looking the same as ever. He walked to stand beside her, watching Aegis Island along with her.

"Emperor, I told you it's Shio!"

"**Oh course, my apologies.**"

"Hmph... So, what are you doing out here?"

"**Watching all unfold.**"

"Are you going to help them? Those are your children down there after all."

"**This is their battle.**"

"(Gasp) What a bad papa! Leaving your daughter to fight alone!"

"**Why would I interfere with things she can handle on her own.**"

"Ah! Such trust!"

They watched as all unholded. Silent as if watching a play.

"**Foolish humans,**" commented Azriel. "**They'll be their own downfall before the Aragami ever will.**"

"Ah, I don't know. I like them! They really know how to have fun!"

"**Hmph, only you would see them that way Little- Shio.**" He said correcting himself when he saw her frown. She giggled and smiled at the nice recovery.

They continued to watch up to the point Megumi had devoured Nova and released a world wide burst. Suddenly they were surrounded with plant life.

"Whoa! That looked tasty!" Shio giggled and clapped.

"**What a good girl... she takes such good care of her brothers and sister.**" He said sadly, knowing full well how much that must have hurt. He even flinched as she hit the ground.

They continued to watch until Megumi dissolved into specks of light. They watched a beautiful show of specks of light and butterflies take to the sky. Even as lovely as the display was... it was still a dead body.

"I'm sorry about your daughter, Azriel."

"**... She knew what she was getting into. All of us must eventually meet such a fate.**"

"I know, but... it's still sad. No parent should have to see that."

"**Is that why you won't spawn children?**" She punched his leg for that.

"Why would I want kids; I'm still one myself. Besides, I don't like the idea of forever watching them from the shadows. Unable to interfere with their lives until absolutely necessary."

"**I only choose that to help them grow independently. It may lack the glamor. However... in the end the companionship, although small, is worth it.**"

"But... I don't think I'll be able to take it once they pass on without us. Whether an Aragami takes them or time does it's cruel dance, they'll leave us behind."

"**The memories they leave us behind is worth the limited time we have with them. They live on immortal inside of us as the bond always makes us one. In time once they're gone, they'll leave us behind our legacy. I have a grandchild coming on the way soon, and I will protect them along with the other future generations my children spawn. And as the parents we must be strong enough to make sure the first one does not happen. We're there for the battles they can't handle and watch over the ones they can in support.**"

"But... you're daughter's dead and their was nothing you could've done to stop that." But Azriel just looked down at her. His grin grew wider, even on the mouths on his 'scarf.'

"**Who said she was dead.**"


	26. Chapter 26

With this the story comes to a close. This one's for you sis, thanks for reading my work. Hope you all enjoyed the ride.

Hearts that Blend

Aegis Island was partially destroyed due to the attack against Arda Nova and Nova. The Director of the Far East Branch, Johannes, was placed under arrest for crimes against humanity while Dr. Oguruma was killed in the collapse of Aegis the same day. Such was the official line of Fenrir HQ, soon buried along with the Ark Project.

The pain of countless deaths still had yet to heal before life started to go back to normal. The shuttles that had been launched eventually made their way back to Earth after a couple of orbits. Some of the hostility still exists against the 'Chosen 1000' from the ones that weren't chosen.

Three months has passed since that day, and the amount of Aragami attacks had twiddled. The Children of Misfortune remained in the Den to help with the Branch's recovery along with repair their castle- which they happily were able to save the court yard. Although Xemnas and Roxas did leave for a while to check up on their girlfriends, they came back right after they saw that they were okay. Larxene had given birth to her baby in the Den's Sick Bay. Sakuya and Kanon even helped her bring the her baby into the world, while poor Marluxia had the circulation squeezed from his hand while the others waited outside the Sick Bay. The little guy had his mother's hair but his father's eyes. Azriel even made time to sneak into the Den to meet his newly born grandson with only a few knowing of his presence. Those outside the First unit's circle had practically crapped their pants once they saw him.

Time went on but the groups couldn't hide the devastating blow at losing Megumi, especially Soma. Doragon had returned to his home, fading away from Fenrir's eyes once again, and tended to his plants and his daughter's flowers. He knew that's what she would have wanted. If he had let them die due to his grief and negligence it would break Megumi's heart. Doragon went under the pretense that his little girl was most likely still out there. Soma was still able to open up to people, he even confessed to them about his past which they gladly accepted, but that wall would always come up when they got too close to him or brought up anything that reminded him of Megumi. Most of them worried that things would never be the same again. But, that's when...

"!" The Children of Misfortune's head popped up from whatever they were doing when they felt a twinkle in the back of their heads.

"No... it couldn't be..." Vexen said, denial was the only defense he had if his feelings were giving him a false hope so he always kept it handy.

Zexion ran to the Entrance, gaining the attention of the First unit who were hanging around the lounge couches, and rushed to Hibari's desk.

"Hibari, has there been any bio signal recently active in the area?"

"Uh... no." Hibari said, taken aback by his sudden flux and lack of boredom toned in his voice. "We haven't detected anything out of the normal."

"(Sigh) Then... I guess my senses are just playing tricks on me."

His spirit dampened at the false alarm. As much as they all tried to move on, they still held on to that small hope that she was still out there. She was immortal, right? Couldn't she possibly be out there, somewhere recovering?"

Suddenly the alarm went off around Hibari's desk. The loud buzzing got the attention of everyone on the Floor. Hibari immediately began cracking down what was the cause of the alarm, typing on her desk computer with great urgency.

"We've detected a bio signal of one of our armlets that is not authorized to be out on a mission at this point." She continued typing to find the identity of the armlet's Gods Eater in the log. What she found almost made her eyes pop out of her skull. "What?... According to this, it's Megumi."

This got the First unit on their feet. Soma jumped over the railings, landing on Hibari's desk to not waste any time. Crouching down on his knees he met her eye level.

"Where's the signal coming from?"

She was startled by his brash move, Hibari poised herself and locked on to the signal. Ignoring the beseeching eyes on her.

"According to the signal, she's somewhere under the ruin city close to the mission area in the City of Mercy."

"Great." A hint of relief could be heard in Soma's voice. He then tuned to Zexion and the others. "Hey, we're moving out."

They nodded in agreement.

"I'll go get the others." Zexion said, running off.

"Right," Lindow voiced in. "Let's bring her home."

*** Deep within the City of Mercy ***

"The signal seems to be coming from here," stated Zexion.

They were all gathered in this area looking for Megumi, even Doragon had made his was to this area once his senses gave him that twinkle feeling. Larxene got Tsubaki to look after her boy until she got back, there was so way she was being left behind or taking her baby out in the dangerous wastelands.

"Where?" Kota questioned. Looking left to right, he pointed out the tumbled buildings and old wooden shrine was the only thing in the area as they stood on old paved cross road. "There's nothing here."

"Don't let your eyes be deceived by such an elementary top coating conclusion my boy." Vexen lectured to Kota. "You must look into the clues to find what actually 'is' behind the first layer."

"Huh?"

"There's more to this than meets the eye." Vexen said, trying a different tactic.

"Oh!"

"Hibari said the signal was coming from underground. Do you think there's an opening near by?" Soma question.

"Probably," answered Zexion. "I remember hearing water tunnels in the area last I checked. Maybe there's a drainage system near by."

"Hey guys, come check this out!" Alisa called out to them from behind the shrine.

They ran to her to find fresh water coming from a ditch that lead to a drainage way under the shined bard by wooden bars.

"I think we just found our golden ticket." Lindow grinned at Alisa's finding. This was exactly what they were looking for.

Soma immediately jumped into the water. He immediately noticed a hole in the bars under the water.

"Hey there's an opening down here." Soma told the others. "I'm going on ahead, catch up when you can."

"Wait, Soma." Lindow cautioned. "Let's not rush into things. We don't know what's exactly down there."

"I know one thing that's down there and that's the only thing that matters." Was all Soma said before diving under and going through the opening.

Once through he resurfacing. The tunnel was dark and made of stones and dirt. Water dripped from the tunnel in drops, the only light in the tunnel was the light reflected off the water onto the walls. Soma kept swimming until he saw a light from the end of the tunnel.

The water was falling from a higher opening and into his tunnels cliff side, where a certain amount of the water would be trapped while the rest would fall further down below. Soma was able to lift himself on rocks at a higher level to get out of the water. He was soaked and all that swimming knocked his hood down, making his hair soaked and shiny. Sounds of water movement could be heard echoing through the tunnel, the others must not be too far behind.

Everything had a blue hue to it due to all the light reflecting on fresh water. The place was beautiful. Remains of building lay stuck in the caverns walls. Water gently fell down into the lake below like tiny waterfalls.

Stones and rumble scattered around the area were smoothed by water erosion. Above the cavern a single hole shown light into the cavern and below an Oracle Cell enhanced Japanese Oak Tree glowed a calming white and light green light.

Not wasting any time sight seeing, Soma made his way down to the bottom. Jumping from rock to rumble. He made his way to the glowing tree, hoping to find her close by. However, the amount of moving water and the large body of water was throwing his senses off, he couldn't hear or smell her in the area. But there was no mistake, the signal said she was down here. He just had to look a little harder.

"Soma, do you see her?!" Kota called down to him from the tunnel.

"No, not yet!"

"Aw, man!" Kota wined.

"Well, we'll just have to keep looking!" Roxas said trying to keep positive.

"Hey, what's that?!" Alisa said, pointing at the dark shadow of an object surfacing from the deep end of the lake. "Right there."

Soma got out his God Arc, ready for whatever was coming up. But he was caught off guard when it was only a giant seed bud. The bud slowly floated closer to the shallow waters of shore. Once it was close enough, Soma could sense something off about it.

"!" Soma jumped into the water and walked over to it.

"Careful Soma!" Sakuya called out. "You don't know what it is!"

But just as she said that the bud slowly opened into a giant white water lily. Sparkles of light escaped as it opened up. Once it finally open they were all surprised and overjoyed to see the sleeping form of Megumi inside it. She on the same dress she wore from last time.

"Megumi!" They all cheered and quickly made their pace down to the bottom.

Her bottom half had slipped out of the flower and into the cool water. The touch of water had woken her, slowly she opened her eyes. The sound of moving water caused her to look up. A warm smile came over her was she caught sight of Soma wading his way toward her.

Soma stopped in front of her and looked down at her. She happily chuckled at him, she was overcome with joy at finally seeing him again after resting in the darkness for so long. He gave her a small smile back.

"I... I'm back."

Soma's eyes softened at the sound of her voice. He reached a hand out to her.

"You're home."

Reaching for his hand she took it as he pulled her out of the water. He lifted her up and twirled her in the air, the hem of her dress splashed water all around them as she laughed in joy. Bring her back down, he held her close in a warming embrace, both of them stood in the water. At last, united again.

In life we pray for our sorrows to end and hope our heart will find anothers' to blend with. A heart that will help heal our wounded ones. But only few step forward to realize this wish. Once one figures out that starting a new journey isn't as hard as they think the world opens up to them. maybe it already started before they even took their first step. There are many possibilities in this world, but they all share the same sky. One sky, one other person waiting underneath it for you. Your other half.

*** The End ***


End file.
